Hi Boone, and welcome to Bookaroo-Ju. So … Satan using Twitter? *grin* How did you come up with that concept?
My husband and I were in the car and I was surfing Twitter. I’m not sure how it happened, (divine intervention?) but I landed on Satan’s profile. It said something like, By clicking follow you agree to bind your soul in eternal servitude…or something like that. We laughed but then the light bulb clicked on. D’oh what if that was true? The story kind of wrote itself.
Hehehe, love when an idea comes along like that.
Christopher White sounds like he could be an adorable counterpart judging by the blurb. If you had to describe him in only three words, what three would you choose?
Unruffled, witty, and trustworthy.
Oooh. And what about the main man from downstairs? Will he be putting in an actual appearance in the tale? Or is that something the reader will have to find out for themselves?
He’s hell on wheels at tweeting but sends his minion, Vern to handle the heavy work.
Heh, typical. If you accidentally followed Satan on Twitter, what kind of delights could tempt you into trouble?
Probably things like world peace, cures for cancer, getting a spot on Dancing With the Stars. Important, life changing things.
Okay, and finally, a couple of quickfire Q’s:
Pizza toppings: the entire works … or the plainer the better?
The works! (accompanied by beer)
Weres or Vamps?
Weres, I have a hard time staying up past 9:00.
I’m a were girl, too–but for whole other reasons. 
Ice cream or fresh cream?
Fresh cream as long as I’m not the one that has to milk the cow or churn it.
LOL
In a single sentence, what will sales of the anthology mean to the supported cause?
By teaming up entertaining stories and a great cause, we not only help AutismSpeaks financially, but also spread awareness about issues surrounding the autism spectrum.
Anna Kirkpatrick isn’t looking for love. Being a single mom to Bowan, her eight-year-old autistic son, takes up all of her time…leaving no room for romance. Willing to do anything to help her son come out of his shell, Anna agrees to take Bowan to cooking classes with a world class chef.
Motorcycle-riding pastry chef Leo Mancini isn’t exactly searching for ”the one”, either. After losing every penny he had, his business, and his girlfriend, he’s moved to northern Idaho to sulk, restart his career, and pay his sister back for a loan that no amount of money could ever really suffice.
When Anna and Leo discover that Bowan’s fondness for the kitchen extends beyond his peculiar cookbook collection, Leo quickly becomes the one person who can break through his barriers. But will Leo and Anna’s attraction lead to more than just a weekly cooking lesson?
And now onto Brooke. Hey, welcome to my blog. Bittersweet certainly sounds as though it could be full of tenderness and a few tears, with a heart-warming ending. Where did the inspiration come from for it?
Thanks for having me today, I’m thrilled to be here! Bittersweet is definitely full of tenderness. I actually got the inspiration for this story from two sources, one of which is more significant than the other. First, my youngest son is on the Autism scale with a diagnosis of PDD/SPD (Pervasive development disorder and sensory processing disorder) So I wanted to write a story for this particular charity that embodied what it feels like to be a parent to a child on the spectrum. Emotional, difficult, defeating, tiring, but extremely gratifying. Also, at the time that my publisher put out the call for submissions, I was crushing on television pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini. So this story gave me a really good excuse to put him into a book, which I’d been looking for.
Having worked with children and adults with autism, I get how important it is for them to have a grounded routine and I love the sound of how Leo is weaved into the plot. Was it difficult to weave a romance into a story where the child is the main focus for the leading female?
You know, surprisingly enough, not really! I actually write a lot of “mom-lit”, so having children in the cast of characters isn’t that tough for me. It’s just a matter of finding that balance between a woman with needs and desires, and a responsible parent. Which, when you think about, is a struggle every mother goes through every day.
Very true. Even for the married ladies, it’s a game of balance.
And because I love motorcycle-riding dudes, I gotta ask where the ideas came from for moulding the male counterpart … oh, yeah, and what bike does he ride?
Oh, I love how your mind works. 
As I mentioned before, celebrity chef Johnny Iuzzini inspired the character of Leo Mancini. I adore him, and often blog about his infinite hotness. Because, well, look at him, and he bakes cookies and candies and incredible desserts! Um, hello! And as for what Leo Mancini drives, I picture him on a teal & white Harley Heritage soft tail.
And quickfire Q’s:
Favourite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?
Half Baked. I could make myself sick on that stuff.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs. Always dogs. Cats make me sneeze and would eventually make me stop breathing. I choose life.
Yeah, probably best to stay alive. Meat or veg?
You know, my husband and I are working hard on eating clean. We only do meat 2-3 times a week, and we eat a lot of alternative grains and protein sources. If I have to eat meat, though, I would say I am a sucker for fish. I love scallops.
In a single sentence, what will sales of the anthology for the supported cause mean to you?
Frankly, every single sale of this book is a personal donation made towards my son, Sam’s, success and well being; and there is nothing that a reader can do that will touch my heart more than building a world for Sam that is more accepting and understanding.
Unable to bear the thought of losing his mortal wife, Caden Wolfe steals the Elixir of Life and offers her eternity. But the theft is discovered, his wife is slain, and Caden is stripped of his angel’s wings and cast down into the Abyss.
Having drunk of the Elixir of Life, Phoebe Little’s soul is tied to the earth in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Unaware that she has lived countless lives, Phoebe is haunted by the loss of a love she has no memory of.
Caden has spent a thousand years searching for his wife. Now he has found her, and only Phoebe’s love can redeem them both. But Phoebe fell in love with an angel, and Caden is now a demon of the Abyss. Can she see past what he has become, remember the love they once shared, and have a second chance at forever?
And last but not least, let’s welcome Nina. Hi, Nina, I’m very intrigued by the blurb for your novella. In particular, I’m interested in Phoebe’s ‘perpetual cycle of death and rebirth’. Would you liken this to reincarnation? Does Phoebe live a normal human life each time she is reborn?
Yes, it is similar to reincarnation. Reincarnation is usually described as where the soul transfers into another body (not necessarily a human) on death, and that’s what happens to Phoebe’s soul. My reincarnation is slightly different though in that Phoebe’s soul transfers into a new body, but that body grows up to look like she was in her original existence.
Phoebe tries to live a normal life, but each time she’s reborn, she’s haunted by dreams of loss, which makes her wary of loving in case she loses again. In her current life, she’s suffered nightmares from an early age, and that has left her with a huge fear of commitment—which doesn’t make things easy for poor Cade.
To be reborn each time and not be reunited with the one she should be is sad enough for Phoebe in the reader’s eyes—despite her being unaware of he who she’s missing. For Caden, knowing of his wife yet his search remaining fruitless for years is downright tragic. What drives you to be so harsh on your characters?
I could just say that I’m a real mean person, but it wouldn’t be true—honest!
I think one of the reasons people read is to experience strong emotions: love, hate, fear…. Readers have to care what happens to the characters or they won’t read on, and one of the ways they come to care is to see them struggling to overcome adversity, and to fear that they won’t succeed in their goals.
Plus, my characters have to deserve their HEA, they have to work hard for it, and that makes it all the sweeter when they do finally get there.
At least they are eventually reunited. Are you a believer of soul mates and that for every person out there ‘The One’ exists somewhere?
I do—but only in paranormal books! I love the idea that ‘The One’ exists and I think it’s a fabulous premise for a story.
I agree! And here are your quickfire Q’s:
Sausage or bacon (please shoot me if you’re a vegetarian)?
I’m not a vegetarian (in fact at one point in my life I was bordering on carnivorous) and I think I’d have to go with bacon. But recently, I acquired a pet pig, a three legged, Vietnamese pot-bellied pig called Piggles, to be precise, and I’m thinking of banning all pork products from the house—not because Piggles would be offended, but because she keeps eying up my bacon sandwich hungrily and there’s something not quite right about that!
Hahahahaha. Couscous or rice?
Do I have to make a choice here? Okay—I’ll go with couscous, as summer is coming and I love couscous salads.
Angels … or demons?
Easy one—demons. Maybe because I’m far from angelic myself. But also because I love redemption stories, so a fallen angel/demon was great to work with.
And finally, give folk one more push to buy this great antho: Where will the proceeds be sent?
All profits go to Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog today, ladies. It’s been an absolute pleasure.
So, if you fancy picking up a great read as well as supporting an awesome cause, I urge to go grab yourselves a copy of Love Knows No Bounds (pssst: click on the images to be taken to the goods). And don’t forget to spread the word, too! Of you go, go, go, gooooo!
To help you along, here are the links to the novellas:
Tweet | Bittersweet | Remember Me
Beginning of Forever by Terri Rochenski
Sounds sad already, right? But … 
Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with storytelling. Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow.
