Deal Sharing Aunt: Woodland Creek Series Anthology, Interview & Giveaway

Woodland Creek Series.

30 Authors. 30 Shifter Stories.

One Epic Release Day.

The Woodland Creek Series is an innovative and collaborative collection of Shifter stories set in one town, each with a guaranteed Happily Ever After.

Sibilance by Aria Kane -- This sexy trickster won't let Sophia Samson slither out of his life so easily. Amazon | Goodreads

Crow's Caw at Nightmoon Creek by Calinda B -- All she can think about is his naked body in the woods last night...and how he murdered her best friend. Amazon | Goodreads

Running Free by K Webster -- Can Frankie prove her innocence with a sexy detective hot on her trail? Amazon | Goodreads

Broken Wings by Mindy Larson – Love, secrets and lies make for a thrilling ride in Broken Wings. Amazon | Goodreads

Mina’s Revenge by J.M. Witt -- Her powers are changing and they're more than the bloodline inheritance from her mother. Amazon

Gargoyle by Scarlett Dawn -- Being stone-hard has never been this sexy and wicked before. Amazon | Goodreads

Zenko by J. Rose Alexander -- Blaze Riordan must find Melody Hastings before Halloween--and only a little red fox can help him do it. Amazon

The Scarlett Legacy by K.N. Lee -- All Evie wanted was to escape her family's secret...and then Avalon walked into town. Amazon

The Beast Within by Rachel M. Raithby -- Passion ignites, and pasts collide, when the Beast comes out to play. Amazon | Goodreads

Sinful Instincts by J.D. Hollyfield -- She was his temptation, and he was her ultimate Sin. Amazon

Moonlit Feathers by Sarah Makela -- After faced with crippling loss, a heartbroken raven must find her wings again…. Amazon | Goodreads

Hounded by Tasha Black -- This dog is about to have his day... Amazon

Dearborn by Jenni Moen -- I craved normalcy, to fall in love with someone untouched by the magic of Woodland Creek, but not as much as I craved him. Amazon | Goodreads

The Good Girl’s Guide to Being a Demon by April Aasheim -- What's a good girl to do when she starts developing horns, and a hunger? Amazon

Blind Trust by Raci Ames -- When Pia goes blind she must learn to trust what her heart can see, even if it means falling in love with two different shifters. Amazon | Goodreads

Dragon's Web by Lia Davis -- One sexy dragon, two strong-willed females, a family scandal, murder, and a love that requires plenty of ice. Amazon | Goodreads

Wicked Jackal by Cherie Marks -- The freedom to choose her fate is all she wants, but can she resist the draw of one wicked jackal? Amazon | Goodreads

One Insatiable by Tia Louise -- One wounded panther, one restless lynx, one insatiable hunger. Amazon | Goodreads

Dream Catcher by M.C. Cerny -- Happenstance brought Kerri Harper to Woodland Creek, but will she stay for the wolf intent on mending her broken heart? Amazon

The Viking’s Curse by Xandra James -- He was supposed to keep me alive after I was marked for death, but hiring the meanest Viking shifter in town might just kill me. Amazon | Goodreads

Interview with Xandra James

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

When I was around 10 years old. I started writing a book

with a friend and, right from that point, I was hooked. My

parents always said I had a vivid imagination, so they

weren't surprised in the slightest!

2. How long does it take you to write a book?

That changes from book to book. It's taken me as little as

three days write a book, all the way up to around six

months. For The Viking's Curse, it was around seven days

plus edits.

3. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I get easily distracted (squirrel!), so I need to not have any

distractions. I allow other life stuff to intrude in the

mornings, but in the afternoon, I need to focus if I want to

get anything done. Then I'll usually write until hubby gets

home from work.

4. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I have none, unless you count absolutely hating to write

first drafts with a passion. I love to edit, and that's when

the book comes alive for me. Other than that, I'm very

boring!

5. How do books get published?

Is this like a birds and the bees question? Right, I'll

make this the PG version, just in case little ones are

reading this ;) An author and an idea meet.

Sometimes they have instant chemistry, and the

laptop starts at the very first opportunity, other times

they dance around each other. Going on lots of dates

before one of them has a notion on how to start. Many

authors don't call an idea after that first meet. Often,

it's obvious it won't work. If they can actually get it

together long enough to abandon their families for

each other, that's when the magic happens. After a

book is born, they're either going off to boarding

school to be molded into a bestseller, or they go get a

job and work their way into the riches. And that's how

a book gets published.

Yeah, I think I might have had too much coffee tonight

– sorry! ;)

6. Where do you get your information or ideas for your

books?

Everything inspires. From reading, to watching films, to

going shopping. If I could pin-point exactly where the next

big idea came from, I'd be a very happy—and focused

lady.

7. When did you write your first book and how old were

you?

I wrote—and completely—a children's book when I was 11

years old. I still have it.

8. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Watch movies and pretend I'm a normal adult. It's pretty

hard.

9. What does your family think of your writing?

My husband is very supportive but also my harshest critic.

If I write something rubbish, he's the first to call me out on

it. My parents love that I write and always imagined I'd end

up doing something creative.

10. What was one of the most surprising things you

learned in creating your books?

That my mind goes to dark places. I love to write

humour—if I make people laugh, I'm happy. But allowing

yourself to delve deeper into the darkness allows you to

explore and find out more things about you as a writer.

11. How many books have you written? Which is

your favorite?

I've written about ten books, but a couple of those will

never see the light of day. My favourite book changes with

how I'm feeling. I love Dirty Tricks – my first romantic

comedy. But I also love Scarred because I started to edge

into the darker side. The Viking's Curse has also become

a favourite because Kol the Viking is a bad boy. There's so

much about him that wasn't in the story, same with TJ, but

they're a real match for each other, I think.

12. Do you have any suggestions to help me become

a better writer? If so, what are they?

Writer's block is either two things; lack of confidence, or

you've written yourself into a corner. For the first, don't

ever let others or yourself tell you you're rubbish. Write,

and keep writing. It'll eventually become second nature to

you. If you write yourself into a corner and you think you're

blocked, backtrack. Go back to the beginning of the last

scene or chapter and think about ideas that take you in a

different direction completely. Keep going back, scene and

chapter until you figure out a way to move forward

again—even if that means scrapping some words. If the

ideas begin to pop, you're on the right path.

13. Do you hear from your readers much? What

kinds of things do they say?

I've had some very kind emails and reviews sent directly to

me in the past and I very much appreciate the time it takes

a reader to seek me out and let me know they loved a

book I wrote.

14. Do you like to create books for adults?

I love to create books for adults, but I don't limit myself to

the old'uns. I have book ideas for children, too, which I'd

love to write in the next year or so.

15. What do you think makes a good story?

Fast pacing, flawed characters you can get behind, and a

good theme/trope. Oh, and a little bit of magic.

16. As a child, what did you want to do when you

grew up?

I went through lots of things as a child. A lawyer, an

archaeologist, a masseur. Trouble is I get distracted and

fed up too easily and it's only been as a writer that I can

see the boredom away!

17. What Would you like my readers to know?

That I appreciate them enormously and love their support

and reviews. Oh, and that if you sign up to my newsletter,

I'll only sell your details to add to my chocolate stash! ;)

Thank you so much for interviewing me today.

Giveaway

There are three amazing prizes for this blog tour!