B is for Bayou

Researching the Bayous

by Elle James

 

My sister, Delilah Devlin and I took a trip last August to Louisiana. We drove all the way down to Grand Isle then back up to Thibodeaux, LA and then over to New Orleans for the Authors After Dark conference. We were determined to get a feel for what it's like to be live in bayou country. So we stopped along the way. Stayed on Grand Isle for a night where houses are built on stilts and fishing is for fun and a livelihood. In Thibodeaux, we took an airboat ride touring the swamps, took great pictures and I pet a 12ft long alligator. Yikes! There are people who actually rob alligator nests. We stopped by one and the mamma alligator was pretty adamant we didn't get close to her eggs! It was fun, beautiful and creepy all in one. And the driver was insane! Talk about great fodder for the air boat chase scene in DEJA VOODOO! Then we drank mint juleps at Oak Alley, a sugar plantation house that made you want to put on a hoop skirt. We wrapped up our research trip in New Orleans where we explored some of the Voodoo shops in the French Quarter, had our palms read and experienced the charm and smells of the city. All these forays were great research for my Cajun Magic series which combines Voodoo, romance and suspense in an exciting group of books coming out this year from Entangled Publishing.

VOODOO ON THE BAYOU (Feb 2013), VOODOO FOR TWO (April 2013) and DEJA VOODOO ( Jun 2013)

Voodoo on the Bayou

Book #1 of the Cajun Magic Series

by Elle James (aka Myla Jackson)

Blurb
“By day a frog, by night a man, ‘til de next full moon...”
At first, lawyer and ladies’ man Craig Thibodeaux thought Madame LeBieu’s chant was a strange bayou joke. But the voodoo worked and Craig is spending his days as...well, a small green frog. Now he has only two weeks to find love, or his new froggy transformation becomes permanent.
When she receives the anonymous toxic water sample from Bayou Miste, research scientist Elaine Smith decides a trip to the bayou is the perfect excuse to escape the lab, and forget about her cheating ex-fiancé. Then she accidentally stumbles upon Craig’s oh-so-fine naked form, and her science-nerd brain is overrun with naughty thoughts about her new gorgeous night-time bayou guide.
But there’s more to Bayou Miste than voodoo curses and sexy late-night trysts. Dark secrets threaten the delicate ecosystem, and there are those who would do anything to keep those secrets hidden. Even murder...

Elle James Bio

Elle James aka Myla Jackson spent twenty years livin' and lovin' in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Elle is proud to be writing full-time, penning, sassy western romances, intrigue
s and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edge of their seats. She has 34 works with Harlequin, self published works under pen name Elle James, over many works with other publishers including Samhain, Ellora's Cave, Kensington and Avon and 19 works self-published under pen name Myla Jackson. Now living in northwest Arkansas, she isn't wrangling cattle, she's wrangling her muses, a malti-poo and yorkie. When she's not at her computer, she's traveling, snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.


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Please leave a comment for your chance to win a free download of BILLIONAIRE HUSBAND TEST

You Interview the Author Contest

I won an interview with author, Eve Langlais, from Evie Balos Yahoo Group. Be sure to join Evie's group for your chance to win an interview with an author, one who is Evie Balos and Rebecca Goings, this month.

Tonya Callihan: Please tell us about your upcoming releases, Broomstick Breakdown from Amira Press and A Ghostly Menage from Cobblestone Press. Eve Langlais: Releasing October 15th are two paranormal pieces both featuring shifters. Broomstick Breakdown -- Fate works in mysterious ways. Sophia is on her way to her first Halloween gathering for witches when her broomstick breaks down. Luckily, she lands at a garage where a hunky mechanic, after a spell of persuasion, agrees to act as chauffeur.

Aidan is more than just a sexy driver though. As a wolf shapeshifter, magic doesn’t affect him, but he’s not immune to the powerful draw of his true mate. Mating should be simple, but he didn’t count on a stubborn witch making abduction his only option.

With the factions they belong to discouraging mixed species mating, will they find love like fate intended?

A Ghostly Ménage -- Forget ghosts who rattle chains, try living with ones that like to grope. Jenna, desperate for change, buys a repossessed home on a whim. The townsfolk claim it's haunted, but Jenna's pretty sure all it needs is some filler to stop the drafts. But before long, even she has to admit, there's more going on here than the vagaries of an old house. And whatever it is keeps making her panties damp and her dreams hot.

Derrick and Mark, werewolf twins, are stuck in their house as disembodied spirits all because of an evil witch. When their fated mate suddenly becomes the new owner, they end up taking haunting to a whole new erotic level.

Can Jenna save the alpha brothers and if she does, can she handle a forever after with not one, but two men?

TC: Can you tease us with a short excerpt from each?

EL: I can’t decide which short part to post so instead I recommend readers check out a full excerpt on my site @ http://www.evelanglais.com . Be warned though, some of the language is a tad explicit.

TC: Out of all of your books which was your favorite to write? Why?

EL: Lucifer’s Daughter is still by far my favorite piece. There was something so liberating about writing about a woman who walks a narrow line between good and evil, who kicks ass but has a strong feminine side. Then there was the fact I had a blast creating the world she lives in, not to mention I made Satan into something horrifyingly unique—a loving father.

TC: When you write where do you like to be? Do you have an office? The kitchen? Outside? Etc? How does this place speak to your muse?

EL: I always work in my office. It’s my space with lots of natural light, a big desk to spread myself over (in other words you rarely see the top J) and it’s set apart so I can kind of have some privacy from the family when I work.

TC: Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

EL: How’s having a title on Amazon, Fictionwise and Allromance in the top ten? LOL. I began writing just to see if I could do it, now I do it because I can’t stop. It would be nice in five years if I could have a major backlist with a story coming out each month and people actually saying ‘Eve Langlais, I love her work!”

TC: What's next for you as an author?

EL: Writing. Writing and more writing, lol. I just finished a piece on Cleopatra that is very paranormal with vamps and demons. I’ve got my fingers crossed my publisher loves it. Next on my list either a shifter book or a new paranormal series. My muse is pulling me in two directions so I might work on both until one of them takes over.

TC: Where can readers find you?

EL: The best place to keep track of me is on my website @ http://www.EveLanglais.com . I update my site regularly and display all my work, both current and upcoming, along with some smoking covers and excerpts. For those who like Facebook, I also have a link on my site to my FB fanpage.

Whew, now that the grilling is done lol, thanks Tonya for participating in the original contest and for sending me some great questions.

TC: Thanks so much for Evie Balos for hosting a great contest. And thanks so much to Eve Langlais for particpating. I can't wait for your two new releases myself.

Be sure to check out Eve's website and blog

Contests

Hey Guys,

I've entered contests before in the past. I've won a handful of times in the past two years. I just had to share this past week because it has been one of the best I have ever had. I have won 8 contests so far.

I still can't believe it myself. I've won more this past week than I have won in the years I've entered contests combined.

Here are the contests I've won:

Black Velvet Seductions: I won a print copy of My Pet by J.W. McKenna.

Stacy Dawn: I won an author loot bag, full of donations from authors and a special prize.

Courtney Breazile: I won an ebook copy of Lily's Turn.

Jude Mason: I won an ebook copy of Pink Ribbon.

Jenna Brynes: I won an ebook copy of Switching Seth.

Kiyara Benoiti: I won an ebook copy of Strawberry Rendezvous.

Evie Balos Yahoo Group: I won an interview. I get to interview author Eve Langlais.

Just wanted to share I am pretty excited. Also wanted to say never give up. You may not win every contest and one week bam...you may win 8 or more:)

Good Luck,

Tonya

Bitten By Books Contest

Special Invitation - Author Kerrelyn Sparks Interview and Contest

RSVP HERE NOW: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=30902 and get 25 entries to the when you show up on the day of the event. If you don’t show up and mention your RSVP AND ask a question, your points won’t be entered into the contest.

Kerrelyn will be talking about her new book release Eat Prey Love book NINE in her Love at Stake series. Read a 5 tombstone review of this book here: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=28379

CONTEST INFO: Open to readers WORLDWIDE Prizes: 3 prize packs each with a SIGNED copy of Secret Life of a Vampire and The Vampire and the Virgin three winners!

Join us on 9/27 with author Kerrelyn Sparks for an interview, chat and contest. The event starts at 12:00 pm Central and runs all day and into the evening. The contest portion of the event runs until 11:59 pm Central on 9/28 . For those visiting from outside of the US, here is the time conversion link. We are in the Chicago time zone: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Good Luck,

Tonya