Vampires, Servants, A Giveaway and Ms. Joey W Hill

Ladies, grab a cup of your favorite liquid and settle in (make sure you have a fan ready) for a little girl talk with Ms. Joey Hill!!

**squeal.. fan girl moment... jumping up and down doing the happy dance**
Okay.... whew... I am calm now! =)

Ms. Joey, I want to welcome you to the Hussy Lair!
Please make yourself at home.
It is an honor to have you over at my place today!

It’s a pleasure to be here. You know I always love to visit the Lair – I can be a little wilder than usual (wink). Thanks for inviting me.

How are things going?

Wonderful, chaotic, crazy. A typical day, but no complaints at all. It’s an adventure. I’ve discovered that being a Type A personality is both a fantastic and traumatic thing when you’re an author. Fantastic, because you have to juggle a lot of different balls at once, and being obsessive-compulsive and Type A really helps keep you organized. Traumatic, because balancing the promo vs writing vs family balls are unpredictable, in terms of what you’ll deal with from one day to the next. For that, you really need a few beta genes, to give you that laid-back ability to roll with the punches and not wig out every time something comes in you’re not expecting. I need to be more like my gorgeous Aussie bushman, Devlin, from Vampire’s Claim. Or maybe I should just call him in to run my life. I can sit back and enjoy the scenery while he handles everything (laughter). Though Danny might miss having him to run her sheep station.
Wow... woman you know how to juggle some balls. Okay, that did not sound right. Oh, is there any way you can send Devlin my way when you are done with him.... I remember him and he is delicious too!

You may have to fight Danny for him (wink). Seriously, some days I feel like Tony Shalhoub’s Adrian Monk character, trying to make everything stay in its proper place, while the world acts like one of those Fisher Price corn popper toys, the little balls within a ball being clattered about the kitchen by a toddler.
Oh that is tooo funny... I remember those Fisher Price toys! And you are so right... life does resemble that. If only... **sigh**

Well, Ms. Joey, can you tell us a little more about yourself.

Okay, I just covered obsessive-compulsive and Type A. That takes up about 80% of my personality. But I guess you mean the things about me that make my presence here relevant (laughter). I’m an author of mostly erotic romance fiction, both contemporary and paranormal. I write for both a New York and independent epub press, Berkley and Ellora’s Cave, respectively. My work is known for delving deep into the emotional and psychological aspects of sexual expression, and a lot of it involves BDSM. I consider sex a sacred act, one that has myriad acceptable forms between loving, consensual adults. It should be celebrated and treated as a source of healing energy and a way to enhance love.
I have seven furry children and am addicted to good movies and chocolate.

Seven furry children huh... Wow, and I thought my two were enough!

My husband is addicted to World of Warcraft. However, since he’s also still addicted to me after twenty years, I have no complaints –none that he’ll listen to, that is. He’s too busy killing merlocks, whatever those are! Overall, I’m a pretty quiet, rather boring, keep-to-myself person who would rather be writing and spending time in secluded places with my family than doing anything else. All the glamour I carry is apparently poured into my characters. On a given day, if I manage to shape my hair into a reasonable-looking shrub and coordinate socks without holes on my feet, I think I’m set. But I love writing. Getting immersed in a new set of characters, finding out who they are and what will bring them together, just bowls me over every time.
Can you share with us what you are currently working on?

Several great things I can hardly wait to share with you all.

Oh yayayayayayay ~ sharing time!!!!!

Sometimes I wish there was a way to just “blip” it into a book and shove it out there. Then we wouldn’t have to wait through months of editing, etc before I could let you get to know the characters. That eagerness is like bringing home the gorgeous new boyfriend to meet the girlfriends. Only instead of telling my girlfriends “hands off”, I hand him to you freely, to enjoy and explore him all you want, because I still get to keep my private concept of him as well. A much better scenario, I think! I mean, I personally think there should be a rule that all gorgeous boyfriends and soon-to-be husbands need to be test-driven by willing friends so we can tell the primary girl whether or not he’s a keeper. We’re only thinking of her welfare, after all. Right?
Oh woman, I love the way you think... If you ever want to share one of your characters, you just let me know. I do not mind test driving!!!! **Do I see hands going up out there**

Cecile, how would I get them back in time for deadline? LOL Anyhow, what the heck was I talking about? Right, what I’m working on. Let me list this out in my typically anal fashion (better watch how I use that word here, given my audience – wink):
Anal fashion... hummmm.... like commando... Oh wait, you meant... Oh okay... **hee hee**

1) The copyedit proof for Vampire Trinity – this is Part 2 of Gideon’s story in the Vampire Queen series (coming out September 2010). It’s currently on my desk for review, due back in March 23. Now, every book referenced in this interview, as well as over the next couple days, has free excerpts, blurbs and gorgeous cover art on my site. However, for just the brief nutshell view: Gideon is Jacob’s brother and ended up being a strong secondary character in the second book of the series (Mark of the Vampire Queen). He obviously needed his own book. Only it turns out, just like his brother Jacob, he needed two of them to tell his whole story. And of course, being a bitter, brooding, hardcore vampire hunter, he had to fall into a relationship with a couple vampires – a Mistress of a BDSM club who gets brutally turned by rogue vampires, and the mysterious male vampire who is her partner. So the two books are Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity. VM is already done and in the starting gate for a May release. VT comes out in September.
2) First draft of A Vampire’s Keeper (tentative title) – this will be the next vampire book if Berkley renews my contract for more Vampire Queen titles this year (my agent is working that out now). Book 3 of the series, Vampire’s Claim, took place in Australia and featured Lady Daniela and Dev, a laconic bushman who became her servant. In that book, Lady Danny had a secondmark servant named Elisa, an Irish maid in her household who became the caretaker for eight vampire children forcibly turned. In Vampire’s Keeper she’s taking them to a remote island preserve off the coast of the U.S. in the hopes that the vampire there, Malachi, can help the children learn how to adapt to the cruel, survival-of-the-fittest world of mature vampires.
Malachi is a Native American “made” vampire (vs born) who manages a sanctuary for big cats. This has been a fascinating book to research, because it’s taken me to the Big Cat Rescue organization in Tampa, Florida, and to other sources, including Native American heritage/spirituality, to guide the book where I want it to go. So far, the scenes and ideas are tumbling out faster than I can keep up, so I think it’s going to be a great story for you all. That’s the amazing thing about this series – each book really takes a different plot approach and setting, while keeping a central focus on the D/s aspects of the vampire-servant relationship. Malachi isn’t entirely socialized to the vampire world and initially thinks the kids are a mistake that need to be humanely put down. Elisa obviously doesn’t think they’re going to get along at all, but as she gets him to see her “children” a little differently, she also learns to see Mal differently--and finds herself entangled with him in a way she never expected.
3) First draft of Afterlife, Book 4 of the Knights of the Board Room series – this is one of my two contemporary series. KoBR focuses on five high-powered manufacturing executives who all happen to be sexual Dominants. As each has discovered the love of his life, he’s managed her takeover with all the resources at his disposal, including using the other four to persuade her to his way of thinking with their unique sensual talents. I’m particularly excited about the last two books of the series, because I’ll be able to write them as full length novels, rather than the first three, which were novellas as part of anthologies (Behind the Mask, Unlaced and Laced with Desire). While I loved being part of the anthologies with very talented fellow authors, I write loooong (this is why I’ve had three sets of stories to date that started out as one book and had to be broken into two – lol). I’m very happy with the other three stories, but if I’d had the elbow room to put in about 20k more on each of them, I’d have been ecstatic (grin). For one thing, I really just enjoy these five men – unabashedly Dominant, protective, gorgeous and take charge, no shades of gray to them. And each of the women involved were exceptionally strong individuals, but had come to a point in their lives where they really needed this kind of man to lend them a helping hand. This fourth one will be my first book where the heroine is older than my hero. Rachel is a divorced yoga instructor and physical therapist who buried her submissive cravings after they were shut down quite brutally in her last relationship. Jon is going to override her reservations about her own libido and the difference in their ages to help her discover that part of herself and celebrate it for the first time in her life – as well as convince her they belong together. In contrast, the last book in the series, Ben’s story, will flip the age difference – he’ll be reluctant because the heroine is much younger, but she’s not taking no for an answer. And when she finally pushes the envelope too far and he turns his fully Dominant personality on her, she’s going to wonder if she’s made the biggest mistake – or greatest choice – of her life. Okay, questions times:

Have you ever had a fan-girl moment **you know, like I am having one right now ~ that does not sound right, lol**? If so... Who was it with?

There are two that come to mind. At my first RWA conference, I was a bit astounded to be in the same room with Nora Roberts at a Berkley cocktail social. Her work inspired my early style tremendously. Probably her most enduring impact on me was the fact that while so many other romances used the classic “misunderstanding” situation to drive conflict, she kept the hero and heroine moving forward together. The conflict instead was the emotional baggage each was carrying, which I found far more realistic to most romantic relationships.

Never thought of it from that angle, but you are right ~ that is more realistic.

Typically, her heroes refused to back off when the heroine tried to close down or run, and vice versa. She of course had the great alpha hero who had the subtle traces of sexual Dominance that I like to articulate far more blatantly in my work (wicked grin). Later, before the public signing, I asked her to sign one of my favorite books, Hidden Riches. It wasn’t a hugely significant moment – I was just one starry-eyed reader/author among so many others, but it was an amazing moment to me, to think that I was here as a “fellow author” with Nora Roberts.
The second one came when I escaped that same cocktail party. I’m really not very good in crowds and get a little claustrophobic if there are too many people and too much noise. It was also my first real professional conference and I was a bit overwhelmed by it all. A very nice lady saw me emerge and said exactly that: “You look somewhat overwhelmed. Come sit down with us for awhile.” Now, here’s the tragedy. I only remember one name of those three ladies – the woman who asked me to sit down was Mary Jo Putney! The other two ladies were equally significant names in women’s fiction, but I was so amazed I’d been asked to sit down as if I had every right to be there, I couldn’t remember a single one of them except Mary Jo a half hour later. What made a lasting impression on me, however, was how gracious, kind and down-to-earth all three of these very successful ladies were – something I will always try to emulate if ever I’m fortunate enough to reach their stature.
Ms. Joey, what has been the hardest subject/action/emotion for you to write within your books?
It took me a little bit to think this one through. In previous interviews and on my yahoo fan group (a fantastic group there, btw), my readers have heard me say over and over that most times I feel like I’m a fly on the wall. If my mind is open the way it should be, the characters and storyline flow through me and I’m just the conduit – I don’t really feel like the credit for the story goes to me, but to the characters and the muse. So though I’ve had to write some very emotionally difficult scenes that made me cry, they weren’t hard to write – just hard to re-read and feel the pain of those characters (yes, I’m sure a psychiatrist would come to the conclusion I’m a little delusional and schizophrenic, but that’s okay – it’s a job requirement for this profession ;>).

Aren't we all just a little delusional and schizophrenic... Anyone... Someone... Okay, that is just me. It's okay, I am a big girl to admit it, lmbo! Hell, I have smutty and hussy in me for rocks sakes!

Structurally, however, there’ve been two stories that set me on my ass several times before I (hopefully) got them right. The first was Mistress of Redemption, where I had a character who’d been a genuine bad guy in two earlier books of the Nature of Desire series. And I don’t mean a “sort of” bad guy – he was really lost, a nasty, selfish piece of work. For some crazy reason, the muse (and an insistent fan who inspired the muse in this direction) decided we could write a book that would let Jonathan redeem himself. I’m extremely proud to say that I think, based on reader feedback, that we accomplished that, but it was a very hard book to write. An erotic romance advances on the premise that your hero has some redeeming characteristics from the beginning. He’s someone the readers will find sexy and exciting. I had readers who held off reading this book for quite a while because they hated him so much (laughter). While it’s still never going to be a popular favorite, and it’s more erotic love story than erotic romance, from a craft standpoint it’s the piece of writing for which I feel the most personal pride, because it took a great deal of what I’d learned about the craft of writing to make it work.
The second one is, surprisingly, Gideon’s story (Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity).

Who would have thought... this man is an enigma all to himself.

It’s the first true ménage I’ve written, where the three characters fall in love equally (rather than just one character sexually participating and facilitating the primary relationship between the other two, like Holding the Cards). That in itself made it a complex book, but unfortunately, the muse (who has a sadistic sense of humor, bless Her little mean-spirited heart - lol), also poured a bunch of emotional baggage on all three of them. The inevitable convoluted politics and brutality of the vampire society had to be thrown in of course, so it made it an extremely complex story to write and still have it be primarily character-driven (my preferred form of story – hate stories where the characters are lost in a lot of action, plot and politics).
As if that wasn’t enough, some family, professional and health issues cropped up during the writing. 2009 was one of my most successful and busy years to date in terms of self-promotion, so with all this happening, there were times my husband thought he was going to have me carted to a padded cell before I finished those two books. Now I’m just going crazy waiting for them to be released so I can find out if I succeeded in doing these three wonderful characters justice, or if I made a holy mess of it. You all will let me know, I’m sure! (grin) By the end, I was very attached to Gideon, Anwyn and Daegan, however, so I’m hoping it will be the former.
Okay... well what would be a no-no topic for you in writing? Why?

It would amuse my editor to think anything was a no-no for me (laughter). But seriously, yes, I have a couple of them. Number One (and I capped that on purpose) is adultery. While it has its place in many genres, I don’t find it sexy, titillating or remotely appealing as romance fantasy. I especially don’t get it as an erotic fantasy, because to me eroticism is all about love and an ultimate sacred commitment to another person (or persons, if you’re going the ménage route). Tell me an erotic romance storyline revolves around someone cheating on their spouse, and I’m no longer interested. When you get married, you make a promise, and there are very few instances where an exception to that is forgivable. Maybe, if you have one spouse in a coma for twenty years, and the other spouse has a weak moment in his/her loneliness, etc. But I wouldn’t write an erotic romance about it, because to me it would be sad, not romantic or loving, not something to celebrate, and romance is about celebrating the intensity and wonder of enduring love. In my writings, there might be a BDSM situation where a Master or Mistress chooses to share the submissive. To me, that’s part of the pleasure of their Dominance/submission and not the same as either of them going off to be entertained elsewhere without the other one. Yeah, shades of gray and all that, but I prefer to write about intense, forever kinds of love, where they can barely imagine breathing without each other. There’s no room for adultery or excuses for philandering in that kind of storyline. Number Two – I’m an animal rights advocate, so I tend to avoid references to meat eating, leather wearing or instances of animal abuse and exploitation. It’s not that all my characters are vegetarians – I know that wouldn’t be realistic. I just have a personally hard time saying they sat down to a hamburger (chuckle). That said, I also don’t believe in using fiction as a way to preach at people about their choices. That turns me off of a book almost as fast as the adultery, even if it’s a preachy topic I agree with! That’s because I think it’s sloppy writing and an abuse of the reader, who’s trying to experience the characters’ viewpoint, not the author’s. Your moral viewpoint can creep in through a character who reflects your ideals, but only as a natural development of that character. If you want to tell a reader how you feel about a political topic, write a pamphlet, not a story. Let the characters tell their own story. However, on the animal note, I have real difficulty writing a scene where an animal is hurt. I know it’s crazy, because I have some incredibly tormented heroes and heroines, but the one scene in Beloved Vampire where there’s this brief, 1-2 sentence mention that a horse was tortured to death was incredibly difficult for me. I almost took it out a couple times, though I knew it was relevant to the plot line.
Do you share your.. umm... sex scenes with your hubby? What does he think of the "smut" in your books?

He helped create/inspire some of them (chuckle). He’s very supportive of my career and what I write – I’ve said before I’m not sure how any married author could advance in this business without the support of their spouse, because it takes an incredible amount of dedication and hours to progress in a writing career. Interestingly though, he doesn’t read my work. He knows what’s in it (see the above comment about his inspiring contributions – laughter), but he doesn’t have any interest in reading the stories. He’s a quiet kind of guy, so he hasn’t ever really articulated why, but I suspect the main reason is why many of my family members don’t read them – when you are very close to the author, it’s hard to read their work without reading too much into it – who am I writing about? Is she saying she’d prefer me to do that? Why does she write about these really sexy, hot guys? What is she saying about me? Etc. When I thought about it from that perspective – would I read my husband’s work if he wrote really hot erotic romances about big-breasted women all the time? – it makes a lot of sense to me. His support and love is enough. And since I know that all my heroes have elements of the things I love and value most in him, that’s okay for me. SMUT TIME:

There is no secret that you were my first author who introduced me into the world of BDSM and since then, there has been no turning back. Now that you have lead me down this road.... **mmaahhhaawww** What was the first BDSM book you ever read?

Cecile, I’m so happy to have been the one to lead you down the path of whips, chains and loving Dominants (grin).

Oh I am loving the Dom/sub up alright ~ How could I not with such hotties as Jacob and Gideon... I mean come'on!! Those two are freaking HAWT!

(((OH PS..... That is Jean Paul ~ Part of the Tribe and yea... He passed the test!!!! )))

Passed the test? He looks like he’s waiting for a test! Though I bet he’ll pass with flying colors (grin)...okay, where were we?
I can’t remember the timeline, but the first book I read in this genre was either Exit to Eden by Anne Rice or Roarke’s Prisoner by Angela Knight (which was a novella in Secrets, Volume 2). Loved both of them. When I read them, I remember thinking, quite fiercely, “Yes! This is the way erotic romance should be done.”
I will be googling these books when we are done! Oh yea! So, what kind of research did you have to do for the Queen's book?

Each book always seems to send me down an amusingly diverse number of paths with respect to research. How a pedicure is done, because when Jacob “auditions” to be Lady Lyssa’s servant, the first thing he does is give her a pedicure.

And ALLLLL I can say is that Jacob can give me a pedicure anytime he wants!!!!

I had to research the Crusades, because of course there is a knight in Lady Lyssa’s past that connects to Jacob in her present. Renaissance Faires, because Jacob was part of one before he came to Lyssa, and they ended up visiting one in Mark of the Vampire Queen. Urethra jewelry, because the very first night she chains him to her bedroom wall, she uses a lovely piece on him to test his trust and loyalty to her. (For those wondering, it looks somewhat like the wire top/cap of an expensive wine bottle, only underneath the cap is a slim 1-2 inch rod that is inserted...well, you get the idea). My husband...

Cecile is bugged eye out and mouth O right now.... Your hubby...

...actually discovered those, and when he saw my eyes light up with that “oh, I’ve got the best scene for that” look, his only comment was “as long as it’s only in a story – we’re not buying one!” Spoilsport.

OH what a spoilsport he is.... **tisk tisk tisk!!** I know that look too... it looks like a kid at Christmas time, hee heee!!

Okay Ms. Joey, since I was deflowered by Jacob and Lady Lyssa with my inhibitions and my limits were pushed out my comfort zone... I have to ask has anything ever made you blush when reading?
NO. Chuckle. Should I expand on that?

Ugh.... YEAH!!!

I’ve always had a very open attitude toward sex, ever since I was very young. In seventh grade, I was considered the “expert” on sexual matters because my practical farm-raised mother made sure I read all my Planned Parenthood pamphlets so I understood about sex, pregnancy, disease, etc. Though she personally felt that sex was something that should be shared between two committed, married people, she never acted like sex was anything hugely secret, dirty or taboo – it just required responsibility and maturity to handle correctly.

Yea, in my family, sex was very taboo... something no one talked about.

Yes, I think a lot of women struggle in their adult lives with those early inhibitions – though you appear to have overcome yours (lol). Anyhow, I doubly bless Mom and Planned Parenthood for helping me with that.
Bless her and Planned Parenthood for that. When I turned to the Wiccan faith in my early twenties, I found the attitude that sex was a sacred form of energy exchange a relief from the way it was sensationalized and treated as dirty in our society. So as a result, I can’t really think of any sexual act that made me blush or anything I felt was off limits in my own writing if it tickled my imagination or aroused my characters (though I can tell you for a fact my characters will never be aroused by body waste, bestiality or pedophilia – the first is admittedly my personal preference, so I don’t judge others on that, but the latter two, unh-unh, no way, no how, and I will call the police if I see it - chuckle).
Now, funny enough, I blush pretty easily in my day-to-day life.

Now that is Funny!!!

Don’t really like being the center of attention (typical author shyness). If someone takes me by surprise about my writing in a non-writing setting, it can fluster me. For instance, when I worked an office day job, if someone questioned me about my work, it might make me blush a bit because of the more inappropriate setting for discussion, but in terms of sexual acts themselves, nothing yet has made me blush, though some things raise my eyebrows and make me say “Wow. I didn’t know that was possible.” lol

Has anything made you go.... WTH while reading?

Bad stories (whether books, tv or movies) that win awards or reach the top of the best seller lists will do that. It makes me think the product had an outstanding marketing department, one of those “we can buy a can of paint and, by God, sell crap as gold” advertising firms. But in terms of subject matter, I can’t think of a book that did this. There was a movie – we were picking on it recently on the fan group – City of Angels, which has to have the absolutely worst, WTH ending in the history of movies. I love Nicholas Cage, so hate to trash one of his movies, and the rest of it was interesting and good, but kill off the love interest just for the hell of it? Which idiot writer was responsible for that idea? Whenever I read a marvelous romance that just excels in all ways, and yet they insist on killing off one of the two main characters at the end for no really intelligent reason, I come to the conclusion that the author had a horror of being labeled a “romance author” and so had to make it “literary” by giving it a tragic ending (eye rolling). Please. So yeah, I guess I have read a couple books that make me go WTH, and it usually revolves around that issue.
If you were having a dinner party, which characters would you want there? They can be your own or characters from other author's work?

Have Hugh Jackman or Leonardo Dicaprio ever been in a book? (Ever since I saw Leo in Blood Diamond, making the transition to full blown adult actor with a sexy South African accent, I’ve had this thing for him. And Hugh...oh please, I’m a woman with a pulse – love that pic, Cecile! Does the man EVER take a bad picture?) Lol. Okay, no, they’re not in a book, so let’s see. For a successful dinner party, hostesses always try to choose a mixture of guests who will interact in creative and interesting ways, so I think I’d invite Justin and Sara from If Wishes Were Horses - Sara’s a small town sheriff and Justin is a Wiccan priest, as well as the owner of a women’s erotica shop; Dante and Alexis from Mermaid’s Ransom – Dante is half vampire and a dark sorcerer, and Alexis is a shapeshifting merangel (she can do human form for the dinner) who balances his darkness with her pure heart; Gideon, Anwyn and Daegan from Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity, and Mac and Violet from Natural Law. Violet and Sara are close friends – Violet actually loaned Sara a very small uniform for her to set up Justin for a highly provocative police pull over (lol). Plus, Mac, Sara and Violet are all in law enforcement. Justin and Anwyn would have a lot to talk about since she runs a BDSM night club and he runs an erotic shop – there may be business opportunities there, because they’re both pretty savvy about that kind of thing. Daegan is a pretty old vampire, so he could help Dante as he’s making his adjustment to the vampire world – and Alexis can help Dante trust him enough to have that kind of conversation (Dante has a tendency right now to incinerate anything he feels might be threatening to Alexis). Daegan also has some ties to the angel world and may want to talk to Alexis about her father, the Prime Legion Commander Jonah. Gideon would get along great with Mac, because they’re both beer-drinking, sports-watching “guy” types. Plus, even though both of them are very alpha, protective males, both have ended up serving as sexual submissives to the women they love (Anwyn and Violet, respectively) and they might ease into a conversation about that when it gets time for after dinner drinks and things move to the outdoor pool area and lawn where the conversation could be more private. Though with Anwyn’s vampire hearing, she’ll probably shamelessly eavesdrop. (Daegan probably will as well, since Gideon is just as closely tied to him, though Gideon might have some trouble admitting that to the heterosexual Mac.) In short, I don’t think I’d say a word all night – I’d just enjoy them the way I do when I write – being a fly on the wall.
Okay, I am coming crash that party and be a fly on the wall with you honey... Although if Hugh is there honey... and Leo... And Gideon... I am not sure just how long I would be able to contain myself... I am really....... Come'on now!! You expect a girl to be on the wall for that... Maybe up against the wall.
Whew, okay after those mental thoughts, what would you serve - food and drinks?

Well, the vampires can’t eat per se, but they love to taste. I’d probably consult Mac, who is a great cook, about what he’d suggest to tempt their palates and come up with some combination of gourmet favorites and comfort foods. Gideon’s pretty much a steak and potatoes guy – Anwyn has to ride his ass to get him to eat vegetables or fruits, and of course he usually comes back with the fact he’s a thirdmarked servant, so cholesterol or excessive weight gain isn’t going to kill him. I’d have some great wines so Gideon and Alexis could mix their blood with the vintage to supplement their vampires’ meals, unless they decide to take it from the throat. I admit I wouldn’t be averse to seeing Daegan and Anwyn draw from Gideon’s throat on my couch, seeing the way their hands rove over him, reinforcing the fact he’s all theirs. Or seeing Dante pull Alexis onto his lap at the table, push her thick hair to the side and ease his fangs into her neck as she closes her eyes and curls her hands into his dress shirt, whispering his name. You’ve got to admit, though their diet isn’t as varied as ours, it definitely has its perks.
Okay... definitely coming to that dinner party! You better invite me! I do not mind being on the menu, I promise you!!!!!!!!!

You’ll definitely have an invite! I’m sure the non-vampires would find it a pretty fascinating show, since Dominance/submission runs pretty blatantly through all their relationships. Even Sara and Justin, who aren’t D/s technically, understand the dynamic fairly well. Justin is alpha enough to be close to the Dominant side of the tracks, though not all alphas cross that line. And the night he and Sara met, he handcuffed her to her bed and brought her to screaming climax, so though she’s not a submissive (she handcuffs him later on), she understands the appeal!
And prey tell...... who would you want serving you ***waggles eyebrows**?

This is always difficult, because all of my favorite heroes (either in my books or in others) are so beloved to me because of how they loved their heroines. And, given my earlier strong feelings about adultery, I can’t visualize taking advantage of that even as a fantasy, unless I’m somehow magically in the heroine’s shoes for awhile, imagining that I am really her. And so many of my heroines are way braver and far more amazing than I’ll ever be that it’s hard for me to even go there. That’s not self-deprecating, that’s just the difference between a great story and real life (laughter).

However, I really wouldn’t mind adding to my guest list and inviting my female vampires, Danny and Lyssa, to my dinner party. They could bring Dev and Jacob to help with the serving, in nothing but jeans. Since I know Danny and Lyssa are very fond of touching their human servants, and don’t really have any inhibitions about doing it in front of an audience, I’m sure I’d get quite a vicarious sense of participation, just watching them interact during the meal. In Vampire’s Claim, Danny had Devlin kneel and service her under the skirt of her beautiful yellow Grace Kelly style dress while she partook of wine and conversation with two other male vampires at the table. Though they had to watch without touching, their female servants got to tease and fondle Devlin while he was on his knees to see if they could distract him from performing suitably for his lady. It might be a pleasure to see that kind of scene happen. Now, Jacob doesn’t have a real problem pleasuring other women in front of Lady Lyssa, as long as it’s at her command, so I might get the chance to slide a hand over a firm pectoral or taste the slightly perspiring skin over a steady heartbeat, tease his throat as he stayed still at her command... I could handle that. I’m sure she wouldn’t view me as a threat.
Oooooohhhh, we could so do that... I mean... No threat here either!!! LMBO!

Oh, did you mean serve food? Sorry, I took serve a whole different way there... Though that has some interesting possibilities as well. Taking wine directly from the mouth of a handsome man is a whole different way to experience the vintage....
Honey, you can take it any way you want to!! You serve it up pretty awesome for me!
Okay quickie time:

Favorite drink (non-alcoholic/alcoholic): Cherry Coke Zero
Favorite food: Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies, hot out of the oven
Coffee or Tea: Tea, preferably a Celestial Season fruit blend, which I know technically isn’t tea but an herbal infusion (thank you, Marguerite of Ice Queen, for teaching me about tea – she runs a tea room!)
Milk or Dark Chocolate: Depends on the day – I love both Dove brands, including the milk chocolate caramel.
Sappy or Smutty: Oh, I like sappy smut. When my characters share an emotional transition in the middle of an intensely erotic scene, that’s where the pinnacle is for me.
Sunrises or Sunsets: Sunrises, though I hate to choose only one. They’re both beautiful, and daily symbols of beginning, endings and renewal.
Hugs or Kisses: Hugs from girlfriends, kisses from my husband – though he gives great hugs. Are you noticing why my editor has trouble keeping me to a word count minimum? I can’t even do an either/or choice without yakking about it!
Phone Calls or Emails: Emails, definitely. DESPISE talking on the phone! Can’t explain why, except I’m pretty antsy and even if I can move, I somehow still feel trapped by it. I also have a terrible time focusing on a phone conversation – my mind wanders too much. An email I can re-read until I get all the pertinent details.
Dom or Sub: I’ll take a handsome male Dom, thank you. The Knights of the Board Room, Tyler, Mason...oh heavens, I get warm all over just thinking of them. Though those subs with alpha streaks, like Gideon, Jacob, Mac or Dev...sigh. Yeah, obviously I have problems with decisiveness. But these are hard questions, dang it!

LMFreakingBO!!!!!!!! You can't do one answer questions to save your life, lmbo!!! But I love ya anyway!!! Ms. Joey, I want to thank you for coming over to play with us today!! I can not tell you how much fun this has been! I hope you have enjoyed yourself ~ I know I sure have!

Cecile, I think it’s impossible NOT to have fun around you. Thanks for having me here!

~~~~GIVEAWAY TIME~~~~
Giveaways end March 31st...

To show my appreciation, I’d love to offer a chance for one participant to win one of my available titles (reader's choice), as well as a beautiful pink crystal bead bracelet with a sterling silver angel charm on it, in honor of my angel series and the December release of Mermaid’s Ransom (value $35). This was given to me by a very generous reader to offer as a giveaway!

Just make a relevant comment under this interview or any of the features regarding my work over the next couple days, and...

I’ll choose a random winner on April 2nd. I’ll post the winner in the comments section of this interview, as well as have Cecile send me your email so I can notify you directly and get your information!

This is the newest of release by Ms. Joey... Isn't that a hawt cover!
Laced with Desire

Erotic Romance Anthology

"Honor Bound" is Book III of the Knights of the Board Room series (can be read standalone)

Berkley Sensation
February 2010

"Honor Bound" - Book 3 of the Knights of the Board Room Series - When not serving in the National Guard, Peter Winston is a successful businessman, part of the K&A management team. Like the other four members, he’s also a sexual Dominant, adept at bringing a woman to pleasurable surrender. The night before he heads out on his second Afghanistan tour, he meets Dana, a sexual submissive that gets into his head and heart the way no woman ever has. But Dana is also an Army sergeant. It will be over a year before they see one another again, and when they do, she’s suffered injuries that took her sight and will to live. With the creative use of a corset and the talents of the other K&A males, Peter sets the stage for another special night for them, knowing that only a submissive’s willingness to trust her Master will bring her back to love and life again

Click -->> here to read an excerpt of this freaking hot book!

This is the second book in this series....

Unlaced

"Controlled Response" is Book II of the Knights of the Board Room series (can be read standalone)

Erotic Romance Anthology

Berkley Sensation
December 2008

"Controlled Response" - Book 2 of the Knights of the Board Room Series - After seeing his boss Matt find the love of his life in the high powered executive Savannah Tennyson, Lucas finds he’s wanting more out of a relationship than just fantastic sex. Then on a cycling trip in the Berkshires, he stumbles on the pin-up fantasy of his life, a beautiful blonde pleasuring herself on her Harley in a secluded glade. Can he have the fantasy and the reality both? When Cassandra Moira reappears in his life a month later as part of a negotiating team on a three-day business deal, he’ll have to use every strategy—including the sensual skills of his own multi-talented team—to convince her the two of them have more than sexual chemistry, before she’s gone from his life again.

Click -->> here to read an excerpt of this smoking hot book!!


To get a more in depth look into Ms. Joey's life, visit her bio at her web site --->> here.
To find more out about Ms. Hill's work, please visit her web site -->> here.
Make sure you visit her blog too -->> here.
She would love to hear from you!

I hope you are all having as much fun as I am!!!
Stay tune... for a tease of what Ms. Hill has coming up....
**yes I am evil, mmmaaaahhhaawwwww**