Tell us about your favorite character from your books?

Well my favorite character from my Sweetbrier Academy series is the owner of the Academy , Madame Opal Benedict. One reason is because she is a woman who knows what she wants and quietly goes about doing it. She gets to see each of her “ladies” rise above their stations given her help to polish and mold the diamonds that lie among the rough. Secondly, she has the love of a good man. She and Howard have had their rough patches and what I know of her early life will come in a book in the future.

Tell us about your current/upcoming release.

All three of my Sweetbrier Academy books are out in e-book form. Having Faith, the first, is out in print as well. Holding on to Hope is the next to come out in print soon after the first of the year. I don’t have a tentative date on that yet. But , I have done the galley work . I’m looking forward to seeing that on my bookshelf beside the sister book.

I also have a recent release of a book for charity, a contemporary romance in which the heroine is a survivor of Breast Cancer. All the money for that will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. That’s very exciting because they picked it up for a year. I will get to work closely with them to promote and raise money for such a great cause. Check out Red Rose Publishing or my website for information on this book.

How would you describe your writing style?

I am what they call the dreaded panzer. I may be listening to the news or reading the emails and one line will strike me. Suddenly, I see the scene, hear the characters voice, it is awful to have to pull over to the side of the road and grab the notebook to jot down notes. Sometimes, the stories come in dreams.
But once I get the ideas. I pull out my trusty stack of posted notes, begin putting down the highlights of each major point, and place them on a manila folder where I can arrange, re-arrange to my heart’s content.
Then I pull out a notebook. Yes, I do the trusted pen and paper routine. Once a chapter is complete I go to the computer and put it in.

Tell us five things about you.

Five things..
1. Ok, I was born and raised a Virginian.

2. My grandparents were two generation from the Civil War meaning they remember their grandparents talking about the events.

3. My grandfather on my mother’s side was the Harbor Master for Norfolk and his yellow tugboat was called the Seaboard. Yet, I’m deathly afraid of boats.

4. I am legally B.S… No it’s not what you think. It means that I have a Bachelors of Science in Education from Old Dominion University. My concentration was in History and Science.

5. In my backyard, I have two bovines. Yes, not every mother can say come see my grandcows but hey? They make great pets.

What is on your bookcase/E-reader right now? What are some of your favorite authors?

Well, I don’t own an e reader of any sort. But, on my shelf are books like Sleepless in Scotland by Karen Hawkins, Kissed by the Devil by Diane Whiteside, and Lord of Pleasure by Delilah Marvelle. On the computer in the ebook section, I have A little White Lie and Trix and Treat by Aliyah Burke. She is mainly a ir/mc author and her work is just fabulous. I recommend her along with the authors named above.

What do you have coming in 2010? Any sneak peeks we can look at?

I am finishing up an undersea anthology of mermaid tales for Red Rose Publishing. The working title is Neptune’s Daughters. I hope that they will come out as ebooks first then be released all in one as a print anthology, but I’ll leave all that in the hands of my great publisher, Wendi Felter, to decide. Let me give you a sneak peek. I hope you brought your water wings.

From Curse of the Mermaid,

Serena swished her flukes, ignoring the situation evolving in her father’s room as her sister cried out her rage. She kept her hands busy by braiding and unbraiding her long flaxen hair while paying no heed to the cries of her younger sibling.
“How could you not have known he belonged to your sister?” her father’s voice roared over the rising lament at his flukes.
She shrugged her shoulders and looked in another direction. She needed to show penance then her father’s anger would cease to exist. It always did. Besides, her sister was young. She could practice on another mortal. His voice rose again catching her attention.
“This behavior will not be tolerated.” He turned toward the child at his fins. “Nadine, we shall find you another one.
“One who won’t so easily be seduced?” He scowled at his other daughter across the room.
She lowered her head so her father wouldn’t see the blatant roll of her eyes.
“They are all alike, those mortals,” she spoke up in her own defense.
Her comment only inflamed her sister’s angst, making her cry harder.
“He was mine, Father. I was going to seduce him, my first. She butted in just like she always does,” Nadine lamented. “She sang for him, Father, after she told me you wanted me. She sent me away on a fool’s errand and took my cull!”
Serena could not help it, a chuckle slipped out. “Fool’s errand did you call it, dear sister,” her red lips lifted in a sneer. “He was no match for you. Your voice has not yet developed its tone. He would have floundered, realizing you were not strong enough to pull him in for coupling, and died a horrible death.”
Her tone, derogatory, making her younger sister howl in agony.
“Enough!” King Neptune bellowed. His deep voice shook the very stool she sat on.
Serena looked skyward through the crystal dome to see the sky grow dark and the sea churn into a tempest at her father’s will. She drew her eyes back to the throne, and could see the anger in the dark purple of her father’s eyes.
“It’s bad enough a mermaid steals another’s cull, but to do it to your own sister, Serena,” he said and shook his head. “Somehow I thought better of you.”
“You will punish her, Father, please, for me,” Nadine begged. Her earnest tears cascaded down her cheeks to pool at her father’s fins, turning to tiny pearls.
Serena took a deep breath and thought of how to calm the stormy waters. “Father, I did nothing more than sun myself on a rock.”
“Did you smile at him, daughter?” The King leveled his angry glare at her.
“I-I suppose I did,” she began fluttering her eyes, hoping to appear demure. “It’s a natural habit,” she opened her mouth to defend herself further when he roared.
“Silence, speak no more to me about this, child,” his voice edged with fury. “You are no more a daughter of mine. Your actions shame our family and our people. You have brought disgrace upon our name.”

Where can readers find you on the web?
You can find me by slipping over to my website www.nancyoberry.com

If we talked to your muse, what would they say about you?

My muse would probably tell you ,
“This woman needs a bit of organization. She is constantly pulling plots and ideas from thin air. I can only guide her so far before I shake my head. Willie-nillie one plot to the other, I tell you she would make Zeus lose his temper. But she does get her work done, by the gods, it’s out there and most the time a rousing good tale.”

If you were a superhero, what would your name be and would you wear tights and a cape? What super power would you have?

Oh my all that itchy spandex. If I were a super hero- hum I’d be more the secret agent type. No tights or cape, instead I’d wear big sunglasses and a jumpsuit with a leopard print scarf. I’d be the type of super hero that would write faster than a run on sentence, be more powerful than writers block. I’d be able to join the hero and heroine with a smoldering love scene that might ignite pages just sitting on the shelf. I’m not sure what my name would be though.. of course my alter ego would be the shy librarian.

You get to meet any fictional character. Who would it be and what would you do together?

Any fictional character? Wow, that opens up a lot. Hum, if I could meet any one of the characters I’ve read over the years, I’d go with David Balfour from Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I read that book over and over as a child and loved it. I’d like to go back to Scotland and walk the moors and see the sights perhaps dance in a highland fling and discover courtly love.

Sneak Peek:

Sweetbrier Academy Book Two Holding on to Hope coming soon to print; in eformat right now.

http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=151&products_id=406
She watched his finger trace the blanket. Hope could feel a tug on her heartstrings. Leaning back, she laid her head against the wool and gazed into his face. “I hear, if, is one of the largest words in the dictionary.” “Hum,” he answered deep in thought.
Hope reached out and touched his hand. “You can’t build new bridges with seeds of doubt.”
He grinned and pulled her right hand toward him. “Is that what I’m doing? Planting seeds of doubt?”
She responded with a coy smile. As he watched her, the color of the flames illuminated her skin. A blush of peach, the iridescent blue of her eyes going from light to dark, his gaze moved further down her face toward her mouth, cherry red and luscious. As he stared at her lips, they parted and her tongue hungrily moistened the dry flesh. Jonathan inwardly groaned.
He wanted her. God help him, he wanted to bury himself into her body and rock her just as her tempting looks fanned the heat of his passion. Sprawled across the blanket, some of her hair escaped from its placement and curled from the dampness around her cheeks. An arm was cast above her head and her face upturned to stare at him waiting to be kissed
Rolling to his stomach, he dropped a hand to her waist. “You are too beautiful for words.”
She smiled, “Hardly beautiful, pleasant.”
“No painter could capture what I’m seeing,” He continued. Lifting his hand, he used his fingers to trace her temple to her chin. “Soft lines, color,” he smiled. “They could not do you justice. You should always be seen by firelight. It brings out the fire in your eyes.”
“And here I thought you were a doctor, I didn’t realize underneath that dark coat beats the heart of an artist.”
His eyes turned warm brown. She felt the focus shift from her face to her mouth. He was going to kiss her.

Devon Falls: Sticky Magic

Book 1 in series

Author: Raine Delight

Publisher: Aspen Mountain Press

Paranormal Erotic Romance Holiday
A chance meeting at a sweet shop…Can it be love?

When a stranger stops in at her shop, Jenna is surprised by the immediate attraction. Apparently, Marc is too because he wants to get to know Jenna. A whole lot better and won’t take no for an answer.

Excerpt:
The wind lightly swirled the snow around the people walking along the sidewalk. Kids having snowball fights in the local park, shouts of laughter as one hit an unsuspecting person. Jenna saw all this through a slight haze as they walked to the Dew Drop Café. All she thought was that Marc was her dream come true, and how she could get him into bed.

All of a sudden, Marc grabbed her as a car skidded to a stop. She saw it was inches from where she was walking. Shaking and trembling she felt his arms around her. As her trembling eased his scent reminded her of the wild untamed yet equally primitive African jungle. It stole into her senses so that she was on a whirly gig ride at the carnival and she definitely didn’t want to get off! Marc rested his chin on the top of her head and sighed . He leaned down, tipped her chin up and slowly slid one finger along side her pouty lower lip. Leaning down, he replaced his finger with his tongue and slowly slithered across her lips until she parted them.

Jenna didn’t know what happened but the next thing she knew, she was pressed up against him wrapping her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers in his hair as the kiss became deeper, more primitive. Moaning softly , he slipped his hands to her waist. He softly broke off the kiss with a groan and his breath came out his mouth like a steam locomotive starting as he rested his forehead against her own..

“My god, mia Cara, you are intoxicating to me!” Marc said.

Blushing, Jenna made a show of wiping something off her jeans to still the trembling in her hands. Then she felt his fingers caress her face in a loving gesture and she unconsciously leaned into him before she could stop herself.

BUY at:

 Aspen Mountain Press www.aspenmountainpress.com

All Romance E-books: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-stickymagic-391150-.html

Haunting Magic

Book 4 Devon Falls Magic Series

Author: Raine Delight

Genre: Contemporary/Shape shifter/Paranormal Romance

Release date: 2009 at AMP

Tagline: Can this wolf shifter get the one woman to heel that is meant to be his or will she turn turn the tables and tame the wolf?

Blurb:

Rodrick Dracon is the twin heir to the Dragon Inn. When he finds himself longing for a mate after being footloose and fancy free, he finds himself drawn to the most obnoxious, brassy woman he has ever met: Jaxon Sinclair. She is the one woman who doesn’t melt when he goes by or hangs on his every word. She is just aggravating and down right sexy as sin! Soon the sparks fly, passion goes into boiling and Halloween approaches. Can this wolf shifter get this woman to heel before the full moon? Will Jax turn the tables on this ladies man and tame the wolf?

PG-13 Excerpt:

Jax never thought she would enjoy being home until she had a night like tonight helping Grady out. It was just too much, especially after spying Rodrick Dracon working his wiles on every single bubble-headed woman there just before Grady showed up to press her into service. Each time she was there, that lothario had women draped all over him like leeches and yet he hasn’t hit on her since that one night of drunken monkey sex in high school.

Well, she can say honestly she had more than one brain cell and even though she enjoyed the way his jeans hugged his tight ass and the way his muscles bunched under his t-shirt, Jax knew better than to contemplate a night with the “stud master”, the nickname she gave him after years of hearing about his conquests. It was enough to see him at the local hot spots working his wiles on the women and whenever she got near him, he acted like she was cramping his style.

Sighing, she tossed her shoes in the corner, grabbed some water, walked into her bedroom, and sank on the edge of her bed. She hated dishes as well as men who seemed to think they are all that and a bag of chips. “What is it with men who think they need to add one more notch on that bedpost?” Jax muttered as she tossed her clothes into the corner and wrinkled her nose at the stale beer and smoke smells that wafted from them.

Slowly she made her way to the shower and tried to figure why she was bothered by the way the cheap floozies immediately spied Rodrick and flew to his side. It was enough to make her ashamed to be a woman. Jax stepped inside the shower and tried to erase the sight of not one, not two but three women draped all over this man like leeches.

She soaped down and letting the hot water ease her aches. She muttered, “If I am ever so desperate to get laid, I hope someone just shoots me to put me out of misery. I am definitely not interested in adding myself to his bedpost notches. He needs to learn that some day, he will find a woman who will say no and mean it. Then I will laugh uncontrollably at the irony of it all.”

Jax got out of the shower and yawned. She turned off the lights and padded naked to the bed. Heaven was all she thought as the moonlight made shadows on her walls and as she yawned yet again, Jaxon wondered if she will ever see Rod finding the one person who will make him work for a change in winning their heart. That will be the day hell froze over was her last thought as she slid into sleep.

Then I waited…..I don’t wait very well so I tried to distract myself by reading (fiinished it in a few hours *pouts*), making dinner and trying not to look so anxious, I checked my email.

Clicked open my email and saw a response from them.

*gulps*

Then I read that they are interested in Club Fantasy series (paranormal Menage BDSM) and two Devon Falls Novellas, one for Winter called Yule Magic and the other set around Valentine’s day. These would not be in the series per say but can be read as a stand alone. It will also introduce some new characters as well.

They are interested in Falling to Pieces as well but wanted to see it before commiting, which is understandable.

Now I have deadlines…lots of deadlines. LOL Yule Magic has to be done by 10/15, Devon Falls Valentines book by 1/1/2010. Oh boy….thank god the kids go back to school Wednesday because I am going ot be writing up a storm.

I am celebrating tonight so toast with me.

Today I spent the morning talking to  my daughter’s third grade class on being an author. Let me tell you, those 8-10 year olds come up with some darn good questions. I started off telling them that it is hard work being an author. I mean really, what author do you know sits around eating bon-bons and watching the words pop up on a screen. Not me, that is for sure. I told them about the writing process of first draft, second draft (and possible third draft) and final draft; that editing is very important as well as making sure your punctiation is clear and used correctly so there is no run-on sentences among other important aspects of being an author. Then I talked about once you got a contract then the real work starts. We promote, market ourselves and our books, we work with publishers, cover artists and others to make our books the best thing out there and we work hard for it. I also mentioned that at least once, all the big name YA authors like JK Rowling, Barbara Parker, and other authors have been rejected and that it was ok. You just try harder next time. It is ok to be upset that one place doesn’t want your work, but hey, there could be another place that loves it! I also said to write what you know though I have never met a vampire, werewolf or alien so I am taking creative license on that. *grins*

Of course I had to mention that authors love snacks while they work and then I had my daughter pass out some goodie snack bags of chips and mentioned any budding auuthor must have them in order to feed their muse.

Then I touched on journaling is a great way to put down ideas, write your thoughts down and it is great that even if you don’t like it, it is a way to show how much inspires you. Then the questions flowed. LOL Man, I am exhausted just by answering them all. I had an ARC YA book that I got my daughter to show them what that looks like then I had a Hary Potter Paperback to show them the finish copy.

It was an amusing 30 minutes and i was asked to come back for a longer period of time. I touched on reviewing as well as well as that e-publishing is going gang busters as well as traditional brick and mortor stores that they know.

A very enthusiastic crowd though now i need a drink. LOL I am exhausted!

My Weekly update  is here and frankly it is a light one this week. *grins*

Monday 1/19: I am at a special chat tonight from 7-9 p.m. ET at LR Cafe as the winners are announced for their Best of 2008 Poll Awards. AMP was up for many and I was up for Best Shape Shifter Book. I am thrilled just to be nominated. *smiles* I hope you can join the party tonight.

Friday 1/23: I am having an author chat at my daughter’s 3rd grade school. *bites nails* I am nervous but it should be fun as well as her teacher is introducing the aspects of writing and whatnot.

BLOG SPOTLIGHTS:

I host Blog Spotlights for authors/publishers. This week I have two scheduled:

Tuesday: Mary Winter joins us

Thursday: Karen Bartell and Susan Blexrud

You can check it out on my blog at http://authorrainedelight.com/blog

THEME DAYS:

I know have theme days on my loop and they are as follows:

MONDAYS-Science Fiction/Futuristic

WEDNESDAYS: Paranormal/Fantasy

Join my loop and post all the excerpts you want on these days.

NEWSLETTER ANNOUNCEMENT:

I have gone to a quarterly newlsetter due tot he time constraints I have now. First quarter is up in both my Newlsetter only Loop or my personal loop, Sinful Seductions.

COVEY AWARDS:

This week I hope you vote in the New Covey Awards as my book cover, Fiery Magic, is up for the awards. Voting begins on Jan. 20th at Midnight at www.thenewcoveyawards.com. Thanks for your vote.