"When I'm not writing" with Cindy Spencer Pape + giveaway!

I'm so excited about our guest today! Cindy Spencer Pape writes two wonderful series: the Gaslight Chronicles, a steampunk romance series, and the Urbana Arcana novels, a paranormal romance series. I can't recommend her work enough.

Cindy's visiting today to celebrate the upcoming release of Motor City Mage, the fourth book in the Urbana Arcana series. Keep reading to find out what Cindy does when she's not hard at work on her next romance and enter for a chance to win Motor City Fae, the very first book in this series, to get you hooked from the beginning!

 

When I wasn’t a full-time writer, writing was what I did whenever I could snatch time away from the day job. Now, though, I occasionally find myself saying, “That’s enough for today. Take a break.” Then I look around and wonder what to do.

There are things I should do, of course. Living with three men, there’s always laundry and cleaning, but I usually ignore those as long as possible. I do not cook, aside from the very occasional scrambled egg or grilled-cheese sandwich. The offspring are both college students, and so I don’t spend much time anymore making sure they’re fed or chauffeured about. That’s a nice change of pace. The two dogs demand to be let in and out periodically throughout the day, and occasionally I take breaks to play with them. The iguana doesn’t demand much other than food, or occasionally to sit in a sunny window on a warm day.

But hobbies? Hmmm. Let’s start with the fact that I’m a nerd, through and through. I spend a lot of time reading, mostly romance, but also mystery, SF and fantasy, especially steampunk lately. The idea of petticoats and ray guns in the same book just makes me grin. Dressing up for events is another new favorite, and I’ve added a few steampunk outfits to my collection of Renaissance faire attire. You can look for me in some of the new gear at this year’s Romantic Times Convention. I’m lousy at sewing, but good at putting thrift-shop pieces together to make cool stuff.

I love game shows, having once even auditioned for Jeopardy. I’m still bummed that I was never called to be on the show. It’s one show I do try to watch when I can. I’m also hooked on Big Bang Theory, Primeval and Warehouse 13. I go through crossword and Sudoku puzzles as fast as I can get my hands on them. Finally, like the guys on Big Bang, I can often be found with my husband and friends playing utterly silly or seriously complex board games, not to mention the uber-geeky Dungeons and Dragons. Role-playing is how I met my husband in college, and something we still enjoy nearly 30 years later. I honestly thing I incubated my writing skills by building elaborate character backgrounds in some of those games.

Some day I’d love to say I travel, but so far, that’s mostly been in my imagination and late-night Travel Channel binges. I’m a big museum fan, when I can afford the money or time, which drives my family a little buggy. (“Come on, mom, can we please move on to another exhibit?”) Finally, I hang out a good bit with other writers and their long-suffering spouses. I love conventions, SF/F or romance, and the summer circuit of Renaissance faires. I’ve been active in the Detroit RWA chapter for the last 10 years, and have a fantastic critique group—even if one or two of the spouses have wondered if we’re really a secret cult… Ignore the chanting…

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Thank you for visiting the blog today, Cindy! I love it when authors are just as geeky as I am. ;)

For more Cindy, visit her website, blog, or Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on Cindy's upcoming release, Motor City Mage, which will be available on Monday. (I'm really looking forward to this one!)

As a cop who keeps paranormals in line, Des has a hard time trusting them. So why does he want the beautiful werewolf Lana more than his next breath? She's mouthy, flamboyant and distractingly sexy--not the type of woman for a reserved mage like him. Lana admires Des, but she can't be with someone who won't take her seriously, no matter how much she'd love to rip off his dress shirt.

When a dangerous new drug shows up in Detroit, Des must locate the source, and Lana is determined to help. But their plan goes awry, trapping them in a demon dimension. To return home, Lana and Des must flee through a series of unpredictable alternate realities, fighting enemies while trying to shut down the drug trade. But if they're going to survive, they'll have to rely on each other, even though getting closer will add fuel to a fire that's already burning out of control...

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon

Click on the cover to read my thoughts on the first three books in the Urban Arcana series:

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Cindy has generously offered one (1) copy of Motor City Fae, the first book in her wonderful Urban Arcana series, to a lucky reader!

Here's what it's all about:

Detroit artist Meagan Kelly has had a strong sixth sense all her life, but that doesn't mean the gorgeous stranger's crazy story--that she's a half-elf, half human heiress--is true. But Meagan can't deny the evidence of her own eyes--he's Fae. A tall, blond, handsome, pointy-eared elf--and a man she just can't get enough of.

Ric Thornhill's assignment just got a lot more complicated. The more time he spends with Meagan, the harder it is to see her as a political tool to prevent an all-out war between humans and Fae.

Now Meagan's in a race to master her newly released powers in time to prevent the conflict, convince a jealous Queen not to strip Ric of his powers, and find out if she can build a life that straddles two worlds.

Read an excerpt

My review

Purchase: Amazon

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

Giveaway closes Monday, March 19, 2012.

Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Posted by jenn at 05:30

 Cindy Spencer Pape, giveaway, Harlequin, When I'm not writing  24 People left their mark

Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.