Hi all!  Kelly posted an interview on her blog with Zane Kyllwood from MARKED, and she said we could post it here, too. She did her best to get some info from that man! 

Books-n-Kisses is super excited to have Zane from Rebecca Zanetti Marked on the blog today. Marked is the last book in Ms. Zanetti Dark Protector’s series.   While I am so very sad to see this series come to an end, I am excited to finally learn more about Zane.   There have been so many questions about what and who Zane is.  And how he will help or hinder the Janie Kayrs.   So let’s see if we can get some information from Zane so we can figure out what he is.

Kelly: Hi Zane, Welcome to Books-n-Kisses

Zane: Ah, Hi, Kelly. I’m new to the interview scene, so go easy on me, will you? 🙂

Kelly: Thank you for taking time away from your busy……. schedule to sit down with me to take to talk about…. well you.

 Zane: Sure. Not much is going on right now besides war, world catastrophe, and my unsettled love life.

 Kelly: Okay I have to ask because everyone wants to know. What are you?

 Zane: Just a regular guy, I think. I mean, I’m a soldier and part vampire, but really, I’m just a normal soldier with maybe a couple of secrets thrown in. I like beer, football, inventing new weapons. You know. Normal guy stuff.

Kelly: Okay, so that didn’t work. How about a game of 20 questions?

Zane: I do love a good game. Usually when I win, I take over a continent, though.

Kelly: Sounds good.

Zane: All right – shoot them my way.

Kelly: Questions #1: What is your favorite color?

Zane: Blue – the exact color of Janie’s eyes.

Kelly: Questions #2: Do you have any magical powers?

Zane: Yes.

Kelly: Questions #3: Who is your favorite person in the whole world?

Zane: Janie Belle Kayrs would have to be number one. But I also like my brothers, usually. Their names are Sam and Logan.

Kelly: Questions #4: What are you?

Zane: Just a regular guy.

Kelly: Questions #5: Who is your least favorite person in the world?

Zane: I’d have to say Kalin, who’s a Kurjan, is probably my least favorite person. It’s hard to completely hate him, though. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and even when you don’t like somebody, there’s a type of bond you get with people you’ve known forever, you know? I hope I don’t have to kill him, but to save Janie, I may have to. I’m prepared.

Kelly: Questions #6: How tall are you?

Zane: Last time I checked, I was about 6’6.

Kelly: Questions #7: Do you drink blood?

Zane: I’m part vampire, so I do drink blood during battle or maybe during sex. We don’t need blood to survive and can make our own. I plan on biting Janie, just so you know.

Kelly: Questions #8: Do you dream walk with anyone except Janie?

Zane: No. Well, Kalin shows up sometimes, but Janie’s the draw for us both. Kalin and I have never met in the dream world without Janie.

Kelly: Questions #9: What are you?

Zane: A realist. I enjoy the romances throughout the Realm, but really? I don’t see myself having a happy ending. Of course, I hope I’m wrong about that.

Kelly: Questions #10: Tell me your favorite thing about Janie?

Zane: She’s smart as hell and a complete smartass. The smartass part is just a cover-up to keep everyone around her calm. She really has a huge heart, and she’s incredibly fragile but has no clue how true that is. Fate and destiny weigh heavily on her, and I have a feeling she’s about to meet both. She’ll win, though. She has to.

Kelly: Questions #11: Football or Basketball?

Zane: Football. I have two brothers, and we like to hit things.

Kelly: Questions #12: What do you do for a living?

Zane: I’m a soldier and a pretty damn good assassin. That weighs on me, to be honest.

Kelly: Questions #13: How much can you deadlift?

Zane: Two vampires and a Kurjan.

Kelly: Questions #14: What are you?

Zane: A guy about to make a move to get the woman I’ve loved for years. That makes me more dangerous than I’ve ever been, but I’m okay with that now.

Kelly: Questions #15: If you could go anywhere in the world for one night where would you go?

Zane: Well, okay. Don’t tell anybody, but I do have a retreat in the wilds of Alaska where I just get away from everybody and everything once in a while. I love that place.

Kelly: Questions #16: Whom would you take with you on the one night?

Zane: Janie Belle Kayrs, but she’d probably be mad if I kidnapped her. Not that I kidnap her or anything. Really. Trust me.  🙂

Kelly: Questions #17: Whom do you work for?

Zane: If I told you who I worked for, I’d have to make sure you couldn’t tell anybody else, and I don’t know of any nice way to do that. So let’s just say I do have a job, and it’s bloody.

Kelly: Questions #18: Naughty or Nice?

Zane: Naughty. Life is too short for Nice.

Kelly: Questions #19: What are you?

Zane: Who are any of us? I guess it’d depend who you asked as to who I am. I’ve got friends, I’ve got enemies, and I’ve got Janie Belle Kayrs. Whether she considers herself friend or enemy, I don’t know yet. But I do know that she’s mine, so we’ll have to figure it all out, won’t we?

Kelly: Questions #20: Okay fine. Final question Boxers or Briefs?

Zane: Who has time for either?

Kelly: Okay seriously Zane, Off the record.  What are you?

Zane:  Okay, seriously. Off the record. Read MARKED. At the end of Chapter 1, both you and Janie will know exactly what I am. Let’s hope you’re not as pissed as Janie is. I do have a plan, you know.

 For my first interview, this is been a lot of fun. There are some tense moments in MARKED, and I’ve posted one.  It’s when I first meet Talen, who’s Janie’s dad.  Things, ah, didn’t go well.

 The damn earth ground to a stop. A weapon hit the pavement a yard away. Dage Kayrs’s eyes widened, and Moira Kayrs gasped.

Zane sighed and focused just as a locomotive the size of Talen Kayrs tackled him midsection, throwing him ten yards and landing hard on his chest. Zane’s head crashed onto the asphalt. Stars exploded behind his eyeballs, and unbearable pain cut into his brain. He tried to concentrate, to say something, when a fist plowed into his face.

Unconsciousness was a fucking blessing.

 BUTTONS TO BUY MARKED:

Hi All!  If you’re anywhere near York, PA today (Saturday, November 8th), please drop by the Books-A-Million: 3000 Whiteford Road from 2:00 to 4:00.  We are having a huge launching party for the BAM-Lyrical High Notes Program.  I’ll be signing CONSUMED and SHADOWED, and M.Q. Barber will be signing PLAYING THE GAME.

There will be Door Prizes!  Bookmarks!  SWAG!  And of course, baked goods!!!  I’m hoping for cookies, but anything baked gets my vote.  Please drop by and say hi.  🙂

I have fun and exciting news, and I’ll be in York, PA in November for a book launching!  I’ve never been to York, and I’m so excited to go!  Here’s the press release sent out yesterday:

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING PARTNERS WITH BOOKS-A-MILLION FOR LYRICAL HIGH NOTES, A NEW LINE OF EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL-TO-PRINT TRADE PAPERBACKS

August 19, 2014: Kensington Publishing Corp. has announced an exclusive partnership with retailer Books-A-Million to launch Lyrical High Notes, a new program through which select titles from the publisher’s digital imprint will be brought to print for the first time. These special editions will be made available for a limited period exclusively at Books-A-Million as trade paperbacks.

Steven Zacharius, President and CEO of Kensington Publishing Corp, said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Books-A-Million to extend the readership of these fresh and edgy books. Each of the titles chosen for the Lyrical High Notes program was highly successful in its e-only format, and these special printed editions will give our digital-first authors the retail presence that they deserve.”

The program will launch in November 2014 with the release of three USA Today bestselling romances previously available only as eBooks: Consumed by Rebecca Zanetti, Shadowed by Rebecca Zanetti and Playing the Game by M. Q. Barber. Following the release of two more trade paperbacks in January 2015, Crossing the Line by M.Q. Barber and Better than Perfect by Kristina Mathews, the program will continue with one new release per month for the remainder of the year. Books-A-Million will be the exclusive retailer for the Lyrical High Notes trade paperback editions for each title’s initial three months in print.

Margaret Terwey, Senior Buyer, Books-A-Million, commented, “I’m so excited to partner with Kensington for the opportunity to offer bestselling eBooks in print format exclusively for Books-A-Million customers.”

Kensington and Books-A-Million also have teamed up on a multi-channel campaign to promote the launch of the new program through online, social media, event and print marketing. In addition, a “Lyrical High Notes Welcome Committee” of bloggers will be tapped to support the arrival of the new books in print with online giveaways and virtual events.

These online initiatives will be coupled with an equally robust offline push that includes prominent in-store placement and a launch party on November 8, 2014 with Rebecca Zanetti and M.Q. Barber at the Books-A-Million store in York, PA. In advance of the release, each of the 260 Books-a-Million stores in the US will also receive a “Lyrical Launch Pack” containing promo items including branded notepads that will be given as free gifts to the first customers who purchase one of the line’s debut releases in November, personal thank you notes from the debut authors, and special gifts for the store employees.

Alexandra Nicolajsen, Associate Director of Social Media & Digital Sales at Kensington Publishing, said, “Kensington is a house where we pride ourselves on getting behind authors to help grow their careers—from their debuts to becoming bestsellers. This new Lyrical/Books-A-Million partnership will continue to build on that idea. Creating an in-store presence for Lyrical books along with additional marketing and promotion across all channels—in-person, in print, social media—will bring even more exposure to these successful titles.”

Rebecca Zanetti, Kensington’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Lyrical Press author, commented on her upcoming print release saying, “As a reader, I love wandering the aisles in a traditional book store, and thus I’m thrilled that Books-A-Million will be featuring Consumed and Shadowed on their shelves!”

Howdy!  It’s storming like crazy here in Savannah, which is perfect for the vampire ball tonight!  So far, this has been a wonderful conference.  The vampire and witch panels were a lot of fun, and the ‘tying up loose ends’ with Kate Douglas was hilarious.  Kate is always funny.  Here’s a picture with MaryJanice Davidson from our vampire panel.  Yeah, I had a bit of a fan girl moment there. 🙂

A few of us managed to get away from the conference hotel last night for dinner, and here’s a picture of Lynn Rush/Reese Monroe and Kendall Grey at dinner.  We were heading back for the Bookie Awards and got caught in a deluge—I ended up soaking wet and with crazy hair.  I mean, crazy, crazy, hair.  Sue Brown from GraveTells stopped on the way (Sue’s the smart one) and bought an umbrella.  I was running too fast to snap her picture, but here’s a pic of Sue with a Caribbean Marg.  Looks good, right?

Hey – guess what?  TWISTED won a bookie award for best novella/short story.  I gave a quick thank you speech and have no clue what I said.  I wasn’t expecting to win and hadn’t prepared…plus I was a little nervous being in front of all those people at a podium.  It’s a lot easier to be on a panel.

Other than that, I’ve hung out with the magnificent Justine from Kensington, and we truly enjoyed the grilled cheese sandwich from Blue, here in the hotel.  Also, here’s a quick picture of opening day…see what was on the table.  🙂

 

 

 

TWISTED:  Alpha wolves, ninja cheerleaders, and spicy kisses

This is a sexy, sweet, and funny story with great characters.~K&T Book Reviews

I highly recommend this series if you love alphas and the paranormal genre.~The Book Blog

Totally enthralling, this book has it all: sizzling hot-action, jaw-dropping plots, smart-ass attitude, sarcasm and humor and let’s not forget steamy, mind-blowing sex. ~ Confessions from Romaholics

TWISTED is a novella in the Dark Protector series and features Maggie, a wolf shifter who has been a part of the series for many books. She heads out on a mission for the king to find out who’s been messing with shifter innoculations…and right into Terrent Vilk’s arms. The Alpha wolf has been waiting not so patiently for this moment to come, and no way is he letting her go now. The novella is in ebook form only right now, and will be available in a print anthology with TEMPTED and TAMED, the other two Dark Protector novellas, in early 2014. Here are the buy links for TWISTED, and the back cover blurb and an excerpt are found below. I hope you enjoy Maggie’s story!

AMAZON B&N iBookstore iTunes All Romance ebooks Kobo Sony eReader

EXCERPT of TWISTED

Terrent made the split decision to shift from wolf to man just in time to smack into the woman and start twisting through the air. He timed the movements so he’d hit first, calculating the distance and ground cover. Tucking her close, he allowed his right shoulder to impact, immediately rolling over several times and keeping her off the ground. The pain didn’t hit until they’d finally stopped.

Agony burst like fire through his shoulder.

He took a deep breath, mentally dispatching healing cells to the muscles and tendons.

Maggie shuddered on top of him, her heart beating so hard he could feel it on his chest. The woman levered herself up, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Straddling him, she patted his chest, his stomach, his face. “I’m sorry.”

God, she was cute.

Her breasts glowed in the moonlight, and she was sitting smack on his groin.

Suddenly, he forgot all about his shoulder. “Why did you shift?”

“I couldn’t help the change.” She ran her palms down his arms, obviously searching for injuries. “I’m still regaining my strength from having the virus for so long, and sometimes I can’t hold the wolf form.”

His eyebrow lifted. “Maybe you should’ve told me that before we climbed rocks.”

“Um, yeah.” She bit her lip. “But I was having so much fun. You don’t like heights, anyway, so I wouldn’t have thought to tell you.”

“I don’t mind rocky hills when I’m in wolf form. But flying? Or climbing trees? Or, God forbid, high-rise buildings? No way.” Then he waited for reality to hit her.

She finished patting him down and relaxed, her knees on either side of his hips. Straddling him. All movement stopped. Her pretty brown eyes widened. A lovely pink flush rose from her breasts to her face.

Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating.

He expected her to scramble off him. To stutter. Instead, she tilted her head to the side and slowly, so damn slowly, flattened her palms against his chest. A low purr rumbled up from her abdomen.

A wolf who purred. His head might explode, she was so damn perfect.

She swallowed. “You’re naked.”

“So are you.”

She wiggled a little bit. Heat roared between his ears and down his spine. He grabbed her hips to hold her in place. “Ah, don’t wiggle.”

Her blush strengthened to a red that had to burn. “Sorry.”

She didn’t look sorry. Heat lightened her brown eyes, and curiosity filled her expression. Wolves. Always curious.

She wasn’t the only one wondering.

He slid his palms up her flanks, ignoring the pull in his injured shoulder. It’d heal within minutes. Her skin was smooth and so damn soft. He remembered how soft. It had been hell leaving her in safety the last decade while he hunted the additional werewolves created during the war. He’d had a job to do, and he’d done it.

She ran her hands along his ribs, a small smile tilting her lips. “You’re so big.”

“Too big?”

“No. Just big.”

He outweighed her by a couple hundred pounds. When they’d dated before, she’d liked his size. Before she’d been taken and infected with a virus by their enemies. Did soldiers scare her now? Rage ripped through him, but he forced his anger down. “I won’t hurt you.”

She nodded, absorbed in watching her hands drive him crazy. “Why the one fang?”

“Huh?” His anger dissipated in a flash.

“The one fang mark on my butt. You have two fangs.”

Oh. “I had broken one off in a fight with a werewolf earlier that day. It took about a week to grow back.” Probably a good thing, too, or he would’ve marked her. Not that he wasn’t going to soon.

“Oh.” Her gaze met his, and she blinked. “Well, ah…” She bit the inside of her lip and looked away.

“What, Maggie?” He tried to gentle his voice, but her tight little body on him had the words emerging guttural.

“I don’t remember how to do this,” she whispered, her gaze on his collar bone.

His heart flipped over. Jesus. She might as well cut it out and wear it for a hat. The little organ—and anything else he had—belonged to her. The sexy, cunning, pretty little wolf had a sweetness to her that shocked him, considering what she’d gone through. He wanted that sweetness to wrap around him and never let go.

His hold tightened. “Wanna learn?”

BACK COVER BLURB

In human form, Terrent Vilks is all male animal–dark, ripped, predatory. As wolf, he’s unforgettably dangerous, unforgettably hot. Yet Maggie can’t remember him. . ..

Not even when she learns she once agreed to mate him. Yeah, that was years ago, before she was kidnapped and tortured, before she lost her memory. Now she knows just one thing about herself–she’ll do whatever it takes to bring down the monsters who took her, even trust her ex.

He’s got her right where he wants her. . .

I hope you enjoy TWISTED! 🙂