After three years of writing outstanding erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave, Amber Heat and other publishers, this month Sherrill Quinn is celebrating her debut with Kensington Brava with the release of DARING THE MOON, a contemporary (and very sexy) suspense story starring a spunky County Investigator and a brooding, reclusive writer who also happens to be a werewolf. When Taite and Ryder meet, the heat rises and the stakes go way, way up!
Sherrill is one of my fellow Deliciously Naughty Writers, and I am delighted to have her as our January guest author here at sierradafoe.com!
Chat with Sherrill! Sherril Quinn will be joining us on Saturday, Jan. 10th from 5 to 9 pm eastern for a special guest author chat at the Sierra club!
Sierra Dafoe: Sherrill, I’m so excited for you! And it’s about time, too :-) Tell us a bit about the journey you’ve gone through as a writer, and some of the triumphs and travails you’ve experienced along the way.
Sherrill Quinn: I started dabbling with writing back in 1999 and had a couple of short stories published in now-defunct magazines. I moved to Arizona in 2000 and took on a very time-demanding job, and writing went on the back burner. In early 2005 I got the bug to write again. I wrote a couple of novellas, entered one in the Zodiac Pisces contest hosted by Liquid Silver Books, and sent the other two in to New Concepts Publishing and Whiskey Creek Press Torrid. They were all published in February, March, and July of 2006 respectively. I’ve been very lucky so far--every story I’ve submitted has been accepted and published.
Sierra: And what was it like, selling your first book to Kensington? Not only your first -- your first three!
Sherrill: It was exhilarating--and terrifying! My agent submitted one manuscript, the storyline had a hook for a second book, but not a third.
Sierra: I love the character of Ryder Merrick in DARING THE MOON (yes, guys, I whined until Sherrill gave me an ARC -- it’s a great read!) The solitary, recusive writer on that to-die-for island… Yum! How did you come up with his character, and his really rather fascinating family history?
Sherrill: Oh, I hate this question. Because my answer invariably is… “I don’t know.” DARING THE MOON actually was published first as a short story (in one of those now-defunct magazines) titled “Past Land’s End”. I lengthened it to about 40,000 words and had an editor at Ellora’s Cave critique it for me. (I won her critique in an auction.) There was lots and lots wrong with it. By the time I reworked it and submitted it to my agent in September 2007, it was about 85,000 words long.
As far as Ryder’s family history, that’s just something that came while I was brainstorming the book and creating the world.
Sierra: Taite Gibson is a lot of fun too -- a very self-reliant, gutsy investigator for a County Attorney’s office. She’s very determined and down to earth and it was a lot of fun watching her come to terms with the idea that the man who’s stalking her is a werewolf. And as soon as she does, she decides to tackle the problem in very pragmatic fashion -- by consulting a man who knows possibly more about werewolves than anyone else alive…
Sherrill: It’s a good thing she knows someone who knows someone. :-)
Sierra: It’s two weeks to release as I write this (DARING THE MOON comes out on January 1) -- are you excited yet?
Sherrill: OMG, I’ve BEEN excited since I signed the contract. LOL But, yeah, to see my book in print on a shelf in a bookstore—it’ll be a first for me, even though some of my stuff is in print (anthologies).
Sierra: Can you tell us about the other two books yet?
Sherrill: The second book is titled SEDUCED BY THE MOON and picks up with one of the secondary character’s story from the first book. Declan O’Connell is on a mission to win back a woman he lost, and things are complicated by his new life as a werewolf. Plus someone’s trying to kill her. Or are they trying to kill him?
The third book is still trying to be written. I’m only on chapter four as I answer these questions (right before Christmas), and the danged thing is due March 1st. So I really need these guys to start cooperating with me. :-)
Sierra: And what else do you have planned for 2009? I know you’ve got the next story in your Sassy Devils series at Ellora’s Cave coming out soon -- what else can we look forward to from you in e-publishing?
Sherrill: Other than the second Sassy Devils novella coming out on January 2nd, I have one other ebook releasing with Ellora’s Cave--a story set in Victorian England involving Jack the Ripper. And a ménage. Not with Jack.
Sierra: And where can readers find out more about you and your books?
Sierra: Sherrill, thanks so much for joining us this month! I’m really looking forward to chatting with you!
Sherrill: Sie, thank YOU for having me. I really appreciate it! :-)
DARING THE MOON by Sherrill Quinn
It takes a lot to ruffle Taite Gibson, investigator with the Pima County Attorney's Office. But the enormous, snarling werewolf that's stalking her through the streets of Tucson? Yeah, that oughta do it. Those terrifying attacks convince Taite to seek out Ryder Merrick, a reclusive British horror writer reputed to know everything about werewolves, including how to kill them. Turns out he also knows how to leave her shaking with desire...
On his remote private island, Ryder can live safely with the beast inside him, unable to harm others or himself. Then Taite arrives, her lush, sweet scent and gorgeous curves tempting him to give in to every wicked hunger. And as a full moon rises, the only way to keep Taite safe from the evil that's followed her here is to convince her to trust in an attraction that's deeply dangerous, and wilder than she ever guessed....
Excerpt:
Something thumped against the front door. Ryder grinned at the picture in his mind of Taite slamming her balled-up fist against the unforgiving wood. Another thump and a pithy comment. Then more thumping.
Cobb's footsteps sounded in the foyer and the front door squeaked open. "Yes?" his employee asked in a bored, unwelcoming tone.
"Hi." Taite's voice was bright and friendly in direct contrast to the dark comments muttered at his door mere moments before. "My name's Taite Gibson. I'm here with Declan—"
"Mr. Merrick is not at home to visitors, miss, which I believe he made very clear to Mr. O'Connell when he called." The door squeaked again and Ryder knew Cobb was about to close it in the woman's face.
He sighed at Cobb's stubborn insistence on maintaining their privacy, even after Ryder had told him not to. When he heard a thud, he cracked open the door of the study to see Taite standing with one hand planted palm-down on the front door.
"Wait a minute. Please," she said, her smile still in place. "We've traveled all day."
"I'm sorry, miss. But if you leave now you'll reach St. Mary's before dark. It's not convenient for Mr. Merrick to have visitors at this time." Cobb's voice was cool and polite, but Ryder heard the underlying thread of steel. The little man didn't look like it, but he was quite the watchdog.
Even now, he chose to disobey Ryder's instructions in an effort to protect him. Cobb went on, "As I have said, Mr. Merrick is not available."
"But we've come all the way from the United States to talk to—"
Without a word or even a change of expression, the short, balding man closed the door. Ryder fully opened the study door and leaned one shoulder against the sturdy frame.
When Cobb turned, he caught sight of Ryder standing in the doorway of the study. At Ryder's raised eyebrow, Cobb said, "This isn't a good time, you said so yourself."
"I also said they'd have to at least stay the night. The sun will be fully set in another hour—I don't want them trying to get back to St. Mary's in the dark." Ryder knew he was making a complete reversal in what he'd said earlier.
He wasn't sure why but, even knowing he couldn't have her, he needed to meet this woman. Nodding toward the front door, he said, "We'll just have to be sure the basement door stays locked at all times to avoid awkward questions. Let her in."
The older man sighed and turned back to the door. Pursing his lips, he swung open the door and stepped back as Taite's raised fist nearly caught him on the nose. "Come in, miss," he said in a long-suffering tone. He waited until she'd picked up her suitcases and walked into the house, then he went out and collected the other two suitcases Declan had left on the small portico.
Coming back inside, Cobb set the suitcases down and closed the door, shutting out the cool November wind.
Ryder could see the flecks of gold in her dark eyes, could smell her beguiling scent so much more clearly. Her lips were slightly parted, showing small, white teeth, and he clenched his fists against the desire that slammed into him with the force of a gale.
God, she was lovely. Why couldn't the person with Declan have been a man? He wouldn't have been tempted by a man. Oh, his condition would still flare but, without sexual arousal, it would have been…manageable. Throw his hard dick into the mix and he wasn't so sure he could maintain control.
But as great and as immediate his need of her was, she was off-limits. He didn't trust himself with her, not with the time of his Change so close. More determined than ever to get her and Declan off the island in the morning, he moved forward.
5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies!
"Daring the Moon is Sherrill Quinn's first novel in a dark and seductive new series, and what a stunning debut it is! From the very compelling first paragraph to the shocking conclusion, Daring the Moon is an exciting new take on the werewolf legend. The best way I can describe the tone of the novel is modern gothic, with a heavy dose of sensuality guaranteed to leave the reader breathless. Author Sherrill Quinn draws the reader in with her lush, descriptive language and intriguing characters. I'm very excited about this new series, and I can assure other lovers of paranormal romance that they will be delighted with Daring the Moon and will definitely want to add it to their keeper shelf."
After three years of writing outstanding erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave, Amber Heat and other publishers, this month Sherrill Quinn is celebrating her debut with Kensington Brava with the release of DARING THE MOON, a contemporary (and very sexy) suspense story starring a spunky County Investigator and a brooding, reclusive writer who also happens to be a werewolf. When Taite and Ryder meet, the heat rises and the stakes go way, way up!