Cate Masters - August 2012

Part goddess, part angel, part demon, can Lily summon the powers she never knew she had to free herself and make her own destiny?

Dancing With the Devil is Book 2 of The Goddess Connection series, which says: Every woman should embrace her inner goddess. What’s your connection?

Dancing With the Devil is a fun, spunky romance with a devilish side. Lily gives a different perspectiveson everything she sees in her life and when she learns who her family is she knows that family is important no matter how evil they can sometimes be. Everyone has a bit of good and evil in them, and most lean more towards one than the other. If you are looking for an entertaining feel-good story with some steam added to the mix, Dancing With the Devil is a great romance to add to your to be read list.
Sizzling Hot Book Reviews - 4 hearts

When not spending time with her family, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Cate loves to hear from readers! Friend her on Facebook or Goodreads, or email her at: cate.masters AT gmail.com.

Contemporary

Design for Life, Top Ten Finisher in 2011 Preditors & Editors poll

Going With Gravity, a 2011 EPIC finalist

Just the Right Amount of Wrong, interracial erotic romance

Picture This, a 2011 EPIC finalist

Rock Bottom, a rocking romance novel

Tonight You Belong to Me, 1NS short

Wilderness Girl, a 2011 EPIC finalist in erotic romance

Writing Off the Past

Fantasy/Paranormal

A Hard Day’s Knight, 1NS short Arthurian-themed fantasy

Clio’s Choice, midlength dark paranormal

Dancing With the Devil, Book 2 of The Goddess Connection, erotic romance novel

Dead to Rights, dark paranormal

Death Is A Bitch, dark paranormal novella with erotic/romantic and humorous elements

The Duende and The Muse, short fantasy

Ground Rules, Christmas fantasy

The Magic of Lavender, Book 1 of The Goddess Connection, sensual romance novel

Romancing the Hero, short fantasy

Soul for Sale, 2011 EPIC finalist, dark paranormal novella

Surfacing, fantasy novel about a mermaid and a rock singer

Historical

A Midwest Summer Night’s Dream – Western historical with Shakespearean twist

Angels, Sinners and Madmen – set in 1850s Key West, Florida and Top Ten Finisher in 2011 Preditors & Editors poll

Cinderella Dreams (Are Tough to Shake) – Vintage 80s freebie short

Follow the Stars Home – 1870s Native American historical about the opening of the Carlisle Industrial Indian School and Top Ten Finisher in 2011 Preditors & Editors poll

San Francisco Dreams – set around the 1906 San Francisco earthquake

Seventh Heaven – 2012 EPIC finalist set in 1960s in my hometown of Lambertville, NJ

Mainstream

The Bridge Between – dramatic novel also set in my hometown of Lambertville, NJ

Winning – short mainstream/speculative

Freebies and Indie Shorts

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CM: Thanks so much for having me at TRS Blue, Holly! Dancing With the Devil is Book Two of The Goddess Connection series, which says: Every woman should embrace her inner goddess. What’s your connection? I have several more novels in this series in mind to follow. In each, the heroine will be somehow connected to a goddess. Her lifelong quirks will become strengths once she finds her true place in the world, and accepts herself for who she really is. I loved the idea of empowering and inspiring women. We are all goddesses, after all. :) We all have hidden talents and yes, even certain powers! With some nurturing, they come to fruition and help us be what we were meant to be.

CM: The Magic of Lavender follows a widow, Jocelyn Gibson, who buys an old bed and breakfast to renovate. Little does she know it sits atop powerful ley lines of energy, which forces in The Underworld plan to control for their own purposes. Joss has no clue the ley lines respond to her wishes, until strange things begin to happen. Though it’s a dark paranormal, it has very fun elements – a waitress who turns into a demon, a dog who understands Joss’s heart better than she does, and of course, a yummy hero, veterinarian Eric Hendricks, who literally escapes Hell to return to Joss.

CM: It follows the theme of connecting the heroine to a goddess – in this case, Persephone. Yep, wife of Hades, also known as Satan, among other names! Her myth always fascinated me because she eventually fell in love with him, so I wanted to explore why, and what redeeming qualities he must have. As in The Magic of Lavender, and the books to follow, the heroine’s unaware of the powers she was born with until her life reaches a crisis point, and she proves herself and her powers.

HH: What do you like about Lily and what will readers think about this amazing heroine?

CM: The heroine of the story, Lily, is Persephone’s granddaughter, and comes from a long line of strong women. Her mother rebelled against tradition, and escaped The Underworld to marry an angel. Lily has no plans to allow her grandparents to choose a husband for her, especially after Bodie arrives. He’s unlike anyone she’s ever met, and not just because he’s an angel!

CM: Bodie’s one of those heroes who just made me sigh, and I hope readers will find him irresistible, too. He puts everything on the line for Lily, and believes in her when she doesn’t believe in herself. And there’s just something about a hot guy on a motorcycle. Yum!

HH: What makes this book unique compared to the rest of the books you've written?

CM: Dancing with the Devil has some scenes that might singe some readers’ fingers, they’re so hot, lol. Unlike The Magic of Lavender, which is a sensual romance, Dancing with the Devil is about power and control, and the sex scenes play into that. The archduke of Hades Section Six, Zeveriah, wants Lily as his wife because it’s part of a package deal for him to become CFO. His concubine, Veronica, uses sex as a weapon. For Lily, sex is part of a deeper connection, and she learns to take command of her life in every way.

CM: I have some notes for two more books so far. Like the others, they’ll relate to goddesses – an Egyptian goddess, and a Celtic goddess.

CM: Decadent Publishing will soon release another fun but dark paranormal, Death Is A Bitch. I’m finishing up a reimagined Grimm Fairy Tale, and putting the final touches on a ghost story set in nearby Gettysburg, In The Midnight Hour. In August, I’ll re-release my historical romance, Angels Sinners and Madmen. And about a dozen WIPs are calling me!

CM: My blog’s my main site these days: http://catemasters.blogspot.com. Just click on any book cover to learn about the book! Other links will take you to my Facebook page, Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords, etc.

Just finished reading Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward, Tiger by Laurann Dohner and The Witness by Nora Roberts, all fabulous books and highly recommended.

CM: Write! There’s no other feeling so wonderful as when a story idea catches fire, and I’m typing as fast as I can to get down the first draft. Not all are like that, and many rounds of revisions follow, but every story gives me a fantastic feeling after I’ve finally finished.