Osiyo~

Welcome one and all! Grab a beverage of choice, something sweet and sinful. No-no, not the men. What’s the matter with you? You know the hands-on rules… The guest gets first pick! 😉 Take a comfy seat for another, or a first, spin in the Round Pen.

Hey Calisa! Oo, these seats are comfy, thanks. I’d love a lavender margarita. If you’ve never heard of recipes made with culinary lavender, you should visit my heroine’s Lavender Hill Inn, where it’s one of her specialties on the inn’s menu!

I’m thrilled to welcome my wonderfully talented guest today, Cate Masters, who is sharing her book, Goddess, Awakened with us! Lavender margaritas? Sounds positively yummy, Cate. Give me the recipe and I’ll have cook whip some up for all of us!

For now, please show ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Cate some real Ranch love!

Thank you, thank you very much. 🙂

Before I get to the nosy 5-3-4 part of this interview, tell us a bit about you.

I’m just a writer living the dream. My hubby of 36 years acts as chief cheerleader and enabler, my three wonderful grandboys keep me young (and exhausted!), and my dog Lily and cat Chairman Maiow are my furry babies who keep me company while I write.

We have five grandgirls. Oh for a boy! LOL Okay, I’ll begin with five questions, then follow with three more, and end with four final ones.

My writing area at the moment is a cozy recliner in a corner of the my living room. What does your writing space look like?

After 18 years raising three kids in a cramped rancher (with one bathroom, ugh), we moved to a house in the country with A SPARE ROOM (and three bathrooms, yay)! I claimed the extra room as my writing room, painted it a pale blue and added my good-luck-writing totems – among them, a Hawaiian ukelele-playing Gumby, a Chinese dragon, a Sgt. Pepper’s music box and several owls in various sizes. I use the desktop as the business end of writing and playing with Photoshop. The laptop has no Internet, so that’s my writing computer, which on nice days I love to take outside to the deck.

Oo, that room sounds heavenly! I’m jealous. LOL For a lot of writers it’s a life-altering event coming up with titles and character names. Others it comes as naturally as breathing. Which is it for you?

Titles used to stump me but are getting easier. Character names, on the other hand, are the one thing that will hold up a story. If the name doesn’t fit the hero or heroine, it all feels wrong to me. Sometimes I insert [hero] as a placeholder until I figure out who the heck he is.

What advice would you offer aspiring and new writers?

Write, write, and then write some more. Experiment. Don’t try to copy anyone or write to trends. Follow your heart.

The constant shift of the industry makes me often scratch my head and ask ‘what next?’ So, what do you think it takes to be a successful author at the moment?

Great question. I don’t believe there’s any one answer. What works for one author will not work for another. Sometimes a book goes viral because it resonates with readers who help spread the word. Yet I know some fantastic authors who seem to be in the Best Kept Secrets category.

What a wonderful answer, and very true. Who would you like to meet in the publishing industry- dead or alive- and why?

Ray Bradbury. I fell in love with his stories as a teen, and am still in awe of his writing. After I became serious about learning the craft of fiction, his enthusiasm for writing was a great inspiration.

It’s time for 3 in 1! I’ll ask the questions and you answer them in one word. 😆

Favorite animal? Dog

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? Fall

Favorite food? Tiramisu

I’m a dog person too. Well done! 🙂

Okay, Flash four. Ready? What are you working on now?

I’m in revisions with the second Goddess Connection novel set in Egypt, where I’ve wanted to visit since forever. Luckily, as a writer I can go anywhere virtually, at least. This heroine (each book’s a standalone and features a different one) is a descendant of Bastet, the goddess of cats. Here’s the draft blurb: Ancient pyramid spells. Mummified warriors. Artifacts appearing from nowhere. And that’s just Sandy Whitaker’s day job. When spells become curses, and the dead return for vengeance, her dream job turns into a living nightmare. Once Sandy embraces her goddess heritage, can she fulfill her destiny?

The warrior Iker’s triumphed over pharaohs and returned from battles victorious, but dealing with Sandy Whitaker is his hardest task yet. A descendant of Bast, she’s headstrong, naïve and completely alluring. Can he convince her to perform the ritual spells to save the Queen Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s eternal soul? More importantly, can he help her realize she doesn’t need to be descended from a goddess to be one herself?

I love being able to travel through books and yours sound so interesting! What are you sharing today?

Goddess, Awakened – The Goddess Connection, Book 1

Fantasy/paranormal romance novel, about 89,700 words

Blurb:

In starting her life over, Joss had expected some resistance, even some trouble, but not this. The bedroom floor boards trembled beneath her golden-slippered feet. Tendrils of an unseen power curled upward from deep within the ground, tingling through her toes. She paused to steady herself, then continued to put the finishing touches on her costume. The tremors grew into rumbles and their hum seeped beneath her skin. When their tiny wisps twined through her mind, she clenched her hands. Enough. Go away.

Thick as starlight on a clear summer’s eve, sweet as the lavender blossoms she had yet to plant, energy whooshed up through the cracks of the worn wood and out into the October night.

She gripped the bureau until it passed, the vibrations rolling over her in lessening waves. Bubbly, effervescent waves. “Third time tonight, Taz.” Each departure took longer, and more of the essence remained.

When the dog whined, she stroked his fur. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you.”

Even if tonight the waves were palpable enough to make her hairs stand on end. Oh, no, please.

Nothing could ruin tonight. More than a party, this event would determine her future. And after three years of grief, she’d never allow anything to trap her in its clutches again.

Where can we find you and your books?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble |All Romance eBooks| Kensington

Blog: http://catemasters.blogspot.com

Email: cate.masters@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Masters/89969413736?ref=ts

Twitter: @CateMasters

Where will you be next?

This summer’s crazy busy. Along with a review tour and a release day bash (both with great giveaways), I’m going to be visiting so many places, it’s best to keep an eye on my blog so you can follow along: http://catemasters.blogspot.com

Do you have a favorite goddess?

Great question. I’ll wait to see what others say. 😆 Thank you so much for playing along Cate! Wishing you much luck with your book and writing. I hope you’ll come visit again one day.

Thanks so much for having me today! It’s been a real pleasure. I’d love to visit again!

Dodadagohvi~