Tag Archives: Authors answer questions

Cocky Confessions: The Dragon’s Heart with Daniel Ashborne

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Dragon's HeartDaniel Ashborne from Eden Ashe’s The Dragon’s Heart is sitting in the Cocky Confessions hot seat today.

Welcome, Daniel. Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed. Let’s give everyone a glimpse into your life. May I ask what you do for a living? *Snorts* I’m king of the entire race of dragon-shifters.

Oh…I see. Sounds like a busy life. As king, do you have a dragon-shifter love interest? If so, how did you meet?

I met Shelby Kincade a year ago on the set of her newest movie. She was the lead actress and I was hired to head up security when rumor got to me of a rogue dragon Hunter on set. The Dragon’s Heart picks up eleven months after our first date—also known as the night I blew up her world and spent a year thinking she tried to have me killed.

So, you like humans as well. Tell us something no one would believe about you? Large or small.

Children scare me. Don’t tell Shelby.

I won’t breathe a word of it. Certainly don’t need to be on the bad side of a dragon king. Is there the one thing you’d never tell her besides being wary of kids?

*Furrows brow in deep thought* She learned most of my deepest, darkest secrets in our story, so I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn’t tell her now.

What’s something she does that totally turns you on?

Smile. Shelby has this smile she’s famous for, the one she shows the world. And then she has this smile that’s just for me. It kills me and turns me on every time.

Which leads to my next question. Do you rely on your physical prowess or your intelligence to attract a lover?

*Snort*

Dragon…right. Have you ever done something that could have landed you in prison?

I’m more than two thousand years old. We won’t go there.

Who’s your best buddy? What do you guys do when bromancing?

I’m a dragon. We don’t have friends. But if you’re asking about the male I trust most, he would be Luca Dragan. He’s a good sparring partner and I trust him to have my back in the middle of any battle.

Is there a specific body type, hair, or eye color that attracts you? Does your current lover meet the criteria?

Tall brunettes. I’m 6’8, so I preferred women I wouldn’t be afraid to touch. And Shelby is the exact opposite of that. Short, blonde, slender. She’s perfect. She even manages to get me to talk.

So, not much of talker. I’m assuming there have been previous brunettes in your past.

Though Shelby and I met a year before, our story actually starts when I get a call that I’d accidentally mated to someone.

Accidentally…hmmm. Bet that was a bone of contention in the beginning. What’s the hottest thing a lover has ever said to you?

“I love you.”

What intrigues you most about Shelby?

*Raises brow* Have you met Shelby? She’s this tiny, feisty, beautiful little ball of energy and light. And though I’ve yet to figure out how she did it, she wrapped me around her little finger.

Does she do anything that drives you crazy?

She insists the other dragons I trust are friends. No matter how many times I tell her we don’t have friends.

I’m sure she’ll endear you to some of our human ways over time. Last question, what does a dragon king do for fun? Any hobbies?

Does training count? What about sex?

LOL Total alpha male. Daniel, even a human males consider sex a great hobby! Thanks for enlightening our audience to the ways of dragons and offering insight into a dragon king’s mind.

 

Blurb for The Dragon’s Heart:

“We’re dragons. We don’t do the mushy friend thing.” – Daniel

The dragon-shifter king will do anything to keep his mate alive…even if it means war.

After millennia as king of the dragon-shifters, Daniel Ashborne wants a little peace and quiet, especially from the beautiful Hollywood starlet who haunts his memories. His escape tactics end abruptly when he is called to the ER to save the one woman he wants to forget, but who now bears his mark.

Shelby Kincade’s life and movie career were nearly destroyed when Daniel vanished a year ago. Now he’s back, claiming they have been accidentally mated. Getting over him once was hard enough, but she must choose either the life of her dreams or the man she can’t live without. With peace finally on the horizon between the dragon-shifters and the Hunters, an assassination attempt on the dragon king and his mate shatters everything. Tensions rebuild as Daniel and his loyal team of shifters try to discover who put out the hit. Enemy and ally lines are crossed, but in the end–after the battle ash has settled–no one could have foreseen who has plotted for their own gain.

CONTENT WARNING: Graphic fight scenes, lots of great sex, and hot, hot, hot dragon men. A Lyrical Press Urban Fantasy Romance

Excerpt:

A furious Daniel towered over her.

Realizing she was in an ambulance, she scooted back on the stretcher, pulling the sheet tighter around herself. Something was very, very off. There was no pain or range of motion issue with her shoulder. There was just a blackness where the last hour should have been. Whatever was wrong with her, it ran core deep, and had everything to do with the man treating her as if she’d caused all the wrongs in his world.

She let out a pathetic snort. He had vanished on her, leaving her to face the last year alone. The media wasn’t forgiving at the best of times, and they’d had a field day–field year–with America’s Good Girl falling from grace. A dead body, and the disappearance of the man accused of the crime, was too good of a story for the media not to run around the clock for a month straight.

It didn’t make any sense why he hated her. For as much hell as he’d caused her in the last eleven months, professionally and personally, nothing had prepared her for the blast of emotions that rocked her at seeing him standing close to her again. She had no idea what to do with the realization she’d missed him. As soon as she figured out what the hell was going on, she needed deep psychological help.

“So.” She was careful to keep her left arm tucked against her stomach as she tried in vain to put more distance between them. It still didn’t hurt, but the thought of ripping the rapidly healing wound open made her queasy. She’d never been a big fan of blood. Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip as she tried not to worry about how much space he took up, even while sitting on the bench. He was huge. “You’re alive.” When he leaned forward, bringing them closer together, she tried to keep her face impassive. Her gaze dropped to the huge forearms he braced against tree trunk-sized thighs, before she snapped her attention back to his face. He was a lunatic who looked to be on the verge of major violence. She wasn’t so confused she didn’t understand the combination was a powder keg with a lit fuse. “I wasn’t sure. The police said you were gone before the ambulance ever got to the hospital.”

“Disappointed, princess?”

She almost snorted at him. She’d spent the last year hoping he was still alive, and trying not to let the uncertainty drive her out of her mind. “I didn’t get myself shot on purpose, you know. So whatever you’re mad at me about, it’s not my fault. I didn’t ask them to call you.”

“Right.” He dragged his gaze from the mark over her heart back to her face. Though she was sure she was imagining it, she could have sworn his eyes lingered on her mouth. “Just like the Hunter showing up in your bedroom was just a weird twist of fate?”

“A hunter?” She asked, certain she was missing a huge part of the conversation. “Daniel, my house was in the most exclusive part of Los Angeles. There isn’t anywhere to hunt.”

“Ryuu.”

She remembered that word from their first date. He’d told her it was an ancient dragon curse because his sister didn’t like him using cuss words. Funny. She’d thought it was sweet at the time. Now she was sure it just made him bat-shit crazy.

Links to buy:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Dragons-Heart-Dragon-Lore-ebook/dp/B00ICSHB72/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=07PMCWYCTR1H4QMP12JA

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dragons-heart-eden-ashe/1117407741?ean=9781616505073

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-dragon-s-heart-3

aRe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thedragon039sheart-1426078-142.html

 About Eden Ashe:Eden AsheConvinced dragons have gotten a bad rep throughout time, and more than a little addicted to fairy tales and romance novels, Eden Ashe has decided to re-write history. In her version, the dragons are ancient warriors in tarnished armor, who not only deserve the girl in the end, but will fight forever for her.

 Connect with Eden:

www.edenashe.com

www.twitter.com/EdenAshe

 www.facebook.com/eden.ashe.author

 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7262875.Eden_Ashe

Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s installment on Cocky Confessions.  If you have a hero you’d like to see interviewed, let me know through Facebook message or through the contact link on my blog.

Thanks and have a great weekend! DJ

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Cocky Confessions: Dragon of Into the Darkness by J.J. Devine

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INto the Darkness JJWelcome to another edition of Cocky Confessions! Today we have Dragon from J.J. Devine’s paranormal, Into Darkness. The cover is awesome by the way. First I would like to say, thank you for having me here today, Dani. It is always nice to step out of the pages awhile and get to know the public.

Tell us a little about yourself. My name is Dragon. At age 30 my mortal life ended and I began to take on the cause of my maker. I’m an eight hundred year old vampire. I was born in 1,089 AD during a time when a clan’s survival depended upon its warriors. Being orphaned at an early age, I’ve always relied upon myself and learned endurance early on.

Wow, you’ve been around for a while. As a vamp, do you have a job per se? *deep rich laugh* I’m a vampire, a warrior, created by my maker to fight to the death against the Queen of Vampires. You see, Sahara, the Queen, killed my maker’s bride some eight hundred years ago. He has since created an army of some of the most powerful vampires this world has ever seen to go up against her and her own army. I, being one of those vampires.

I’d say that’s an eternal career. Tell our readers how you met your love interest in, Into the Darkness. Ah, my dark angel, my Raven. I first saw her five years prior in the midnight marketplace. Never in eight hundred years have I met a woman such as Raven. She was perusing the booths. That dark hair flowed past her hips. Those green eyes snapped against the moonlight. I have never wanted to possess a woman more, mortal or otherwise.

Her mother kept her tightly supervised back then. The woman had a hatred for men and guarded her daughter closely against my kind. Even so, I spent the next five years coming to my dark angel in the branches of an oak tree. Raven would stand under this tree each night, taking in my scent, unbeknownst to her, preparing for the day when we would one day meet.

When her mother passed away, I began coming to her in what she thought was a dream until the day she was ready to know me in the flesh. That night is one that will be burned into my soul for eternity.

Such a courtship. You’re a patient man. What’s one thing one thing Raven does to totally turn you on? *wide grin* You have obviously not met my Raven. The fire that runs in her blood could consume a mortal within a second. What it does to this vampire is drive me over the edge of good sense.

If I had to choose one thing she does to ‘turn me on’ as you say, I believe it would be her desire to taste my blood. I understand to a mortal this would make you cringe, but to a vampire there is nothing sexier than watching your mate lock their fangs into your flesh, drinking of the very essence that gives us life. It is a sharing of souls.

Oh, I think there’s quite a few that find it sexy. HBO’s True Blood has been a huge success. Do you have any other fetishes? Drinking of my lover’s life’s blood is not enough of a fetish for you? *rich laughter* Let me see, can I think of something else to make you envy my Raven. If so, what is it? I’ve always considered myself a dominate male, ‘alpha’ as I’ve heard you romance writers call us. I dominated on the battlefield and the bedroom until Raven entered my life. There is almost nothing I would not do for her in the bedroom or otherwise if she requested it. I grow weak when she commands her needs, leaving no room for argument, I can only comply.

A handsome warrior and conscientious lover, too…*sighs* Is there a sexual fantasy you don’t believe your lover would agree to? *hearty laugh* my dark angel has more prowess than the average woman I do believe. It is I who must keep up with her appetite.

Wow, she’s a lucky lady. Have you ever done some that could have landed you in prison? *A shadow veils Dragon’s eyes* I will say this is something I’m not proud of. Yes, vampires require blood for survival, however we can feed without bringing harm to our meal. Sadly, there have been the occasion where needs have demanded I drain my meal.

I see. *covers neck* If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be? I have always wanted to be a father. Yes, I could leave Raven between the worlds (vampire and witch) and have this, but to do so would mean one day I would lose her to the mortal death. Somehow, I must find a way to see to her transformation without jeopardizing her life, for only then will I be complete.

Name a favorite piece of clothing to remove from your lover? Her amour. There is nothing sexier than a woman dressed for battle.

Totally agree. I have a thing for amour and men in uniform. What’s the hottest thing Raven has ever said to you? *wicked grin* the night she asked me not to hide my fangs from her. Her unreserved acceptance of whom and what I am proved to me how much she trusted our love.

Sexy…What intrigues you most about her? Her determination. She was thrown into my world after her mother passed away. She’d never known of vampires or witches. Yet, her determination to know who and what she is and continuing living without reserve is something I admire a great deal.

What do they do that drives you crazy? Again, her determination. She is the most stubborn woman I’ve ever known. I fear one day this will cause her immense grief.

Ahh, they say what you first adore about someone is what drives you nuts later. You’re the second hero I’ve interviewed who answered the same for both questions. What worries you the most? *fidgets in his chair before clutching his fists in his lap* I will lose Raven. Not to another, but to death. Between the vampires who ache to control her powers and her mother’s Fire Clan who want her dead if her transformation is ever completed. All these elements work against our happy eternity. I honestly will die if ever that day arrives. For to go through this life without the other half of my soul, would be unbearable. I don’t know if you know this little tidbit about we vampires, but when we fall in love, it is forever. Raven not only owns my heart, but she is my soul.

Dragon, I’m glad you found your mate and hope you have a long time together. Thanks so much for taking the time away from hunting to be with us today.

Author Biojj-devine

Reading and writing have been J.J.’s passion her whole life. Starting out with being the poet, everyone came to in high school to get that “perfect” poem for his or her boyfriend/girlfriend. She spent her weekends locked away in her room, curled up on her bed, writing short stories for only a selected few readers.
She has been happily married for 28 years to her trucker husband. She is a mother of three, grandmother of three; a lover of dogs, cats, and fish.
J.J. started to pen historical romance as a hobby when her youngest child was a year old, creating the Acceptance Series. She got serious about her writing career joining Romance Writers of America and Indiana Romance Writers of America moving on to help start Crossroads Romance Writers in 2014. She penned her first paranormal romance, Into the Darkness, in 25 days, taking herself beyond her comfort zone and just giving the characters free reign of their story.
Since taking herself out of the outside working world, she has dedicated her life to her writing and her writing world and raising consciousness for Domestic Violence Awareness.

Author Links:
Website:
http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/
Blog:
http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/ramblings-of-a-writer.html
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/JJDevineAuthor?ref=ts&fref=ts
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JjDevine2010

Excerpt:

Raven awoke with a start. A single candle penetrated the darkness engulfing her. Her body began to tremble as she assessed her strange surroundings. She smelled Dragon; he was close. Her body hummed its need for him. What happened tonight? Where am I?

Tremors overtook her, remembering the events of the night. What had she become involved with? Vampires? Witches? And who were they trying to fool? Moreover, for what purpose?

Dragon’s heady scent filled her senses, drawing again her craving for blood. If she was the daughter of a vampire, as Tristan would have her believe, then why did she not have fangs?

The urgency of her desires, more apparent as the wetness between her legs dampened her skin, became an irritant. Damn him, even now she craved the pleasures Dragon stirred in her.

She tried to move from the bed, but Dragon’s strong arm wrapped about her waist, holding her in place. Well, that explains why I can smell him so strongly.

“You told me you wanted to spend the morning with me,” he grunted in her ear.

“That was before I knew you were a vampire.” Her angry words caused him to release her.

Rolling to his back, he slid an arm under his head. “I’m sorry, Raven. I should have told you.”

“There is a great deal you should have told me. Do you think for one moment I believe you or Tristan are these . . . these fictional creatures? Do you suppose for one moment I believe I am the daughter of not just one of these imaginary characters, but two as well?”

Dragon remained relaxed, his breathing even, his demeanor calm. His relaxed posture in her bed, as if her words held no more import than a vague breeze, infuriated her.

“Are you listening to me?” The demand in her tone was harsher than she had ever used.

He lit a lamp on the table beside him, illuminating his face. “Are you done ranting?”

“Ranting! You make fun of something that frightened me so gravely and you have the audacity to say I am ranting.”

Dragon’s hand came to her cheek. Instantly, need replaced anger. She wriggled to ease the yearning between her thighs. Her breasts felt swollen, aching for his touch.

Yet she resisted. “Stop it, Dragon. You know what affect you have on me.”
Dragon withdrew his hand, rising so the sheet fell, exposing his bare chest. Shifting away to fight off the tremendous urge to ravish him, she choked out, “I want answers. Now.”

“Raven, I have never lied to you, nor have I ever made sport of you. And I meant it when I told you I love you.”

“You’re saying that you and Tristan are vampires. And I thought I was the crazy one.” She turned away in disgust, even as she sensed the pain her words had caused him. She pressed a hand to her chest to ease the pressure she felt there.

When her eyes flickered back to him, a shocked gasp escaped at the sight awaiting her.

His mouth was open. And he had fangs. In his mouth.
Fangs.

“Touch them!” he demanded.

She recoiled.

“I said, touch them!” He grabbed her hand, forcing it to his open mouth. The sharp points of his fangs pricked her finger.

Raven ripped her hand from his grasp. “Stop, Dragon! You’re frightening me.”

“I smell your fear. Look deep inside yourself. Fear is not the only emotion that drives this craving for the taste of blood. Your lust for me is stronger.”

Shock overwhelmed her anew as she studied his eyes. She could read the stream of mixed emotion pooling in their deep, darkened depths. His voice sounded in her ears, yet his lips never moved.

“See, you do hear me. Can a mortal woman hear what a man says within his head?”

Dragon rose, naked, from the bed. Raven gritted her teeth against the glorious sight of him. Every muscle, chiseled to flawless perfection. The heat between her legs grew uncomfortable. Damn you for making me want you, even now.

Crossing the room to a small wooden table, he poured a drink into two glasses. It looked dark and smelled rich, inviting. Her mouth watered, a consuming sensation. He came back to stand beside the bed, shoving a glass at her.

She eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”

“Proof.”

The scent of the liquid aroused her, but she held her ground. “What is it?”

“Drink it!” Dragon’s tone was dark and furious, his eyes glaring at her.

“And if I don’t?” She ripped the glass from his grasp and slammed it on the bedside table in a show of defiance.

Dragon gulped the contents of the glass in his hand, then yanked her from the bed. His mouth crashed down on hers, the drink still rich on his lips and tongue. Unable to control herself, she clung to him in desperation, devouring his mouth. The sweet taste of the liquid fueled a sudden fire within.

Dragon pushed her away.

Her hands reached for the glass he had brought her and she drank down the warm, soothing liquid in one large draught. She didn’t care if he watched her, as her tongue licked at the remnants clinging to the corners of her mouth.

His anger seemed to rise with each drop she took in. Now he taunted, “I believe it is you who needs to answer my questions. Mortal women do not crave blood, my dark angel.”

Raven’s hand went to her mouth as her stomach lurched. Dragon grabbed the chamber pot as the contents of her stomach resurfaced.

“You bastard!” She cursed him, even as her taste for the liquid returned in much greater force than before.

“How much more proof do you need, Raven? Your hunger for blood is as deep as any vampire I know.”

I’d like to thank Dragon & J.J. for taking the time to visit today. If you have a hero with secrets to be revealed and would like to be on Cocky Confessions, message me on FB or notify me through the Contact page here on the website.