Welcome Guest Ella Drake

Hi, Ella, and thank you for being my guest today! Tell us about your terrific new release, Desire the Banshee.

Desire the Banshee is an erotic paranormal romance, my first release from Ellora’s Cave. I enjoyed writing this so much because I don’t think I’ve ever written two characters so perfect for one another.

Daisy is a banshee, a mage of sound. On missions for the Cinder Task Force, her handler Sean joins her telepathically to help control her turbulent powers. What she really wants is a little hands-on-Sean time, but that’s impossible. She’s never seen him in the flesh.

Deaf since the onset of his para-talent, Sean can only hear when inside Daisy’s thoughts. He dreams of possessing her, but fears the worst—that fulfilling the sexual lust between them will lower his shields and he’ll shatter her mind.

A rogue group has gathered and targets Daisy. Sean has to act. They’re finally in the same room, their powers meld and their bodies want nothing more than to do the same—again and again. But to rescue Daisy, they have to put aside the raging attraction. Easier said than done.

What are you working on now? Do you have any other releases scheduled for this year?

Right now, I’m working on the story that follows Desire the Banshee called Tame the Storm. The story continues in this, but it’s also standalone. I love writing stories where paranormal abilities and sheer ability make for strong men who still need that perfect woman to balance them. Also, I do have another release this year, in October, MetalMark from Lyrical Press. It’s a blend of steampunk and space opera with a heroine space pirate and a long lost prince hero.

How do you come up with ideas?

Usually I come up with ideas in the shower! Or on walks. Like above, in the story MetalMark, I came up with the initial idea by watching butterflies and thinking, those things really are kind of scary looking up close. That story was born. Basically, almost anything is fodder for me. News articles are also things that get my thoughts moving in all sorts of directions. But mainly, it’s this crazy mind of mine that likes to think up stories.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

What I enjoy most is creating characters and worlds that I’d like to know and explore for myself. This world is full of wonders, but I can’t go visit them all from my office chair or living room. This is a way to get to know other places and make up new creatures.

Do you have a favorite time of day for writing?

In the morning. And at night. Basically any time of day except that lull period. You know the one, after lunch and you really just want to take a nap?

What do you like to read?

I love reading Romance! I read contemporary, historical, paranormal, science fiction, category, and romantic suspense. Just about any kind there is, I’ll read it! Just in sheer volume, I think I read more science fiction romance than any other kind. But I’m a strong believer in reading to help me “fill the well” for my writing, so I try to read when I can. I do hit busy times when I can’t read for pleasure for a few months, then I bury myself and read several books a day to make up for it. I just love reading. It’s my hobby.

These are few of my favorite things:

1. My family. My wonderful husband and cutie-pie kids.
2. Chocolate and books. They go together.
3. Dice. I have a strange thing about dice and like to collect unusual ones. I really don’t know why.

Excerpt:
This is a scene from Banshee that shows Daisy’s reaction when she’s angered and the only person who can stop her is Sean:

Arms spread wide, she let her head fall back and opened her mouth to wail, to punish, to wreak havoc.

No! Don’t hurt Griffin.

Sean had no right to tell her no. He’d spurned her, left her. He’d turned his back on her.

Tears streaked down her cheeks. The mirror over the sink pinged. Through the open door, she caught a glimpse of Griffin’s contorted features, hands clamped over his ears. She forced her moan louder, fuller.

Crack. The mirror splintered. She curled her lip and spread her legs wider. More. She needed more. She took a large lungful of air and prepared to let go her scream of rage.

Death to those who denied her.

Sean slammed into her and they fell to the floor. Her moan stopped abruptly as the air left her body. He straddled her hips and held her down. Deep brown eyes stared into her as he burst inside her head.

He touched everywhere at once, as if tiny fingers from thousands of hands danced over her skin from head to foot. Her toes curled and she bucked up. He didn’t budge. He thrust through her consciousness, images played over and through them, racing thoughts of dreams, aches, memories, need. The spurn of the other kids in her neighborhood. The horror on her parents’ faces when she’d destroyed the house. The loneliness of the state-sponsored teen home. Her entire being opened to him and he rushed in like a symphony filled an auditorium, all the way to the outreaches.

Bio:

As a child Ella read every book she could get her hands on, which meant most of her dad’s science fiction and fantasy collection. There she found a special love of elves, dragons and knights. Unable to live in those fantasy worlds, Ella has worked as a waitress, a cashier, a receptionist to a U.S. Senator, a network admin, a web developer and an all-around card-carrying geek.
One day Ella sat down and wrote that first sentence. She hasn’t stopped since. A 2010 PRISM award finalist, she writes paranormal romance and science fiction romance. She’d love to hear from readers.

Links:
Website: www.elladrake.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ella.drake

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Lori_Ella

Buy Desire the Banshee at:  Ellora’s Cave | Amazon.com