Book Blitz: Cursed by Evangeline Anderson - Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway

Cursed
Brides of the Kindred #13

Evangeline Anderson

Steamy Sci-Fi Romance
October 31, 2014

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This is a plus length novel–over 153,000 words long.
Commander Stavros Rii of the Kindred is a Sin Eater–thick black lines cover his back and neck causing him to feel the pain of others. It is a curse that threatens to shorten his life and makes him unable to bond with a female–not that he’s ever found one he wants to bond with. Until he meets Charlie.

Charlie Sayers is an agent with the Earth Protection Bureau– and anti Kindred agency dedicated to ridding the world of the big aliens. Charlie joined the EPB out of a sense of patriotism but she has her own reasons to hate the Kindred.

But she has bigger problems than the Kindred at the moment–the Enhanced Ones have come to Earth and they’re planning to take over the planet, enslave the inhabitants and strip them of all emotion. Charlie can’t have that so she agrees to go undercover with Stavros to find the Heart of Love–an artifact which can destroy their mutual enemy forever.

On their dangerous and difficult mission, Charlie learns that going undercover with your worst enemy can rapidly turn him into your best friend…or your lover. Can she hold on to her beliefs and stay true to herself, or will she lose her heart to Stavros? And even if she gives in to desire, will Stav be able to bond her to him?

Or are they Cursed to be apart forever?

Excerpt

“You can put me down now.” Charlie’s heart was pounding—she wasn’t sure why. “I mean, I really am fine.”

“No you’re not. You’re wounded. And I must heal you.”

The look in his eyes was beyond intense as he cupped her cheek.

“But…” Charlie started to protest, her heart pounding.

“Open to me.” His voice had gone deep and soft and commanding. “Open  and let me heal you, Charlotte.”

“I…” But further words of protest seemed to die on her lips as he bent her over his arm and sealed his mouth to hers.

Charlie gave a little gasp as she felt his lips press gently but firmly to hers. Then his tongue was there, tracing the seam of her lips, seeking entrance. She wanted to pull away and cuss at him—tell him he had no right. Instead she felt her lips parting, allowing him in when she knew she shouldn’t.

He’s just healing me, she told herself desperately. It’s not really a kiss. But it certainly felt like one, especially when his tongue entwined with hers and he sucked gently, as though inviting her to explore his mouth as he was exploring hers.

Charlie gave a helpless little moan and took his unspoken invitation. God, his mouth was so warm and he tasted like cinnamon—cinnamon and some exotic mint she’d never had before. She could feel the edges of his fangs but this time he somehow managed to keep from cutting her with them even when the tip of her tongue danced dangerously over their razor-sharp points. The kiss went on and on and his dark, spicy scent filled her senses until Charlie felt like she was drowning in him, being completely consumed from the inside out.

Interview with Evangeline Anderson

1. For those who aren't familiar with you or your work please introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Evangeline Anderson. I'm a registered MRI tech, a full time mom to a twice exceptional little boy and a full time writer as well. I live in Tampa, FL with my wonderful husband of 17 years. I love writing, cooking, baking, making jewelry, and volunteering at my son's school. I've been writing since 2003 and was first published in 2004. I started self publishing the Brides of the Kindred books in 2011 and the series took off quickly. Readers seem to love the idea of a hot, muscular alien man swooping down to take them away from it all. I wonder why...?  ; ) Anyway, I am about to publish the 11th book in the series this coming Friday and I'm very excited about it. Thanks for having me here to talk about the Kindred and my writing.

2. What inspired you to begin writing? Why did you choose to write within the sci-fi/fantasy genre? Once you caught the writing bug, how long did it take before you realized you couldn't juggle your love of writing and a full-time gig?

What inspired me? Hmm, I guess it's that I've always had a dirty mind. I used to write explicit  love scenes as a teenager and then burn them in the fireplace so my parents (who were both ministers) wouldn't have a heart attack.I chose sci-fi fantasy because that is what I love to read. Plus, Sci-fi is unique in that it lends itself to any plot situation I wish to write. If I want to write a planet where all the males are slaves so my hero and heroine have to go undercover as Mistress and slave, I can. And I have, along with many other ideas that wouldn't work in contemporary fiction.

As for giving up my full time job, I wasn't able to do that until the Kindred really took off in 2012. And to make it work, I have to put out a book every 2-3 months. Because everything I write is over 100,000 words long, that translates to some serious keyboard time. But I love it! I feel so blessed to be able to write for a living.

3. Let's talk about the Brides of the Kindred series! How on earth did you come up with this concept?

Thank you so much! When I started the Kindred series, I had never really written a series before but only stand alone books. I wanted something with infinite possibilities--something I would never get bored with. When I sat down to outline the series, I envisioned only the first four books. I'm as surprised as anyone else that my muse keeps coming up with more but I'm very grateful. Thanks to the Kindred I'm able to be a full time mom to my son.

4. You decided to cross over not only into writing interspecies pairings in this series but interracial pairings as well. Was it difficult to write these particular pairings? Lauren and Xairn in particular come to mind, which is why I inquire.

I credit my good friend and fellow author Lena Matthews for getting me into writing I/R pairings. She opened my eyes and made me see that  I/R readers are a very under-served audience. Also, I don't see why skinny white virgins should get all the love. I adore writing women of all different cultures and body types.

5. Do you find it difficult to write LBGT fantasy vs. M/F fantasy?

I have to be honest, I don't write much LBGT anymore. The Kindred series is all M/F and I have to be in a very specific mindset to write M/M. Since I started the Kindred, I haven't been in that mindset and I have to go where the muse takes me.

6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

I think right now everyone wants to jump right into self publishing. My advice would be to work on your craft first. Take a writing class at your local community college and find a writing group to critique your work. Unless your name happens to be Jane Austen, your first novel is almost certainly going to be dreadful. (Mine was!) Get the first one out and move on to the second. See if you can find a publisher who is interested. By starting with a publisher you build a readership because everyone that comes to their website sees your book. Once you have a readership, THEN you can self pub and quit your day job. But it takes a little while unless you just happen to hit the right idea at just the right time in a 50 Shades kind of way.

7. What do you feel has been the most challenging thing you've encountered as a writer?

Getting published by a New York publisher was challenging. I got a three book deal with Kensington when I was just starting out in my writing career. But it turns out that those books don't make nearly the money that my self published books do. The other challenge is finding time to get my books written and out there in a reasonable amount of time without neglecting my family. My son has been diagnose with ADHD, SPD, and is on Autism spectrum as well. I have to take him to therapy 6 times a week so I just bring the laptop along. But it can be quite challenging getting everything done without cheating either my readers or my family.

8. Do you ever read your reviews? If so, how do you deal with the negativity?

Honestly, not anymore. We writers are fragile creatures. I have found that reading a terrible review, whether justified or not, can kill the book I'm presently writing and send me under a rock for at least a week. That's bad for business so I generally don't obsess over my reviews. Good ones are always nice but mostly I just try to keep my head down and write for myself. If I like a story I'm writing, chances are my readers will too.

9. What are you currently working on? When can fans anticipate your next release?

Well, my next release is Cursed, the 13th book in the Kindred series. And I'm currently working on Enslaved, which will be the 14th book in the series.

10. What are five things your fans would be surprised to learn about you?

Wow, five? Okay, I'll try. Hmmm...

1. My parents were ministers and I was raised in a very religious household. I was forbidden from reading anything questionable which of course, made me want to read it even more. I think that's one reason I became an author of erotica.

2. Despite what I write, I am a Christian and attend church regularly. I think of my stories as marital aids--I try to make my heroes and heroines monogamous and the sex they share causes  a deep spiritual  connection between them. I have gotten many e-mails from readers thanking me for "improving" their marriage. As someone who as been married a long time myself, I know that sometimes you just need a little help to get in the mood. It makes me happy if my books can do that.

3. I don't read romance. (Don't shoot me!) I didn't grow up reading Harlequin because my mother wouldn't allow it. I was raised on sci-fi and fantasy and those are still my favorite genres. So I write what I like to read, only I add some romance and sex to the mix. Some readers have said that my writing is unlike a lot of other romance and I think that's the reason why.

4. I still work one day a week as a MRI tech even though I don't have to for the money. I want to keep my skills sharp in case something should happen. Also, I am NEVER going to take the MRI registry exam again. Had to study for six months to pass it the first time and I have heard they've made it harder since then. I like to keep my options open so I keep my MRI license active.

5. This may be TMI but I have never been with any man but my husband. So many readers think I must have lived a wild life to write the things I do. The truth is, I just have a wild imagination.

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is a registered MRI tech who would rather be writing. And yes, she is nerdy enough to have a bumper sticker that says “I’d rather be writing.” Honk if you see her! She is thirty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

Author links:

http://www.evangelineanderson.com/

https://twitter.com/EvangelineA

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/240840.Evangeline_Anderson

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