Guest Author in the Spotlight and Giveaway: Where The Rain Is Made by Keta Diablo

Where The Rain Is Made by Keta Diablo
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Genre: Historical, Erotic, Paranormal Romance



Summary:

A decadent-looking savage has captured Francesca DuVall and her brother, Marsh. Now she must spend every waking moment planning an escape. However, she didn’t count on the powerful draw of desire interfering with her scheme in the camp of the brutal Cheyenne dog soldiers.

Ethan Gray is a curator at a national museum . . . most of the time, but when he travels through time to help his beloved People he becomes Meko, leader of the most revered and feared tribe of the plains. Although their worlds are decades apart Meko can’t resist the dark beauty he kidnapped during a raid. He has many battles to fight but none he wants to win more than the one that will capture Cesca’s heart forever.

From the windswept plains of Colorado and the harsh life of a Dog Soldier to the placid life of a curator their love was fueled by passion and kindled by destiny.

Good morning everyone,

Our guest today realized in the 5th grade that she wanted to be a writer after reading To Kill A Mockingbird. When reading one of the all time classics, she stated that she "could smell the sultry heat of the South and taste the prejudice in that town." Moreover, she was astounded to discover that simply by turning the pages, she could be transported to another place and time." Keta still reads that book at leas once a year and also loves to watch the movie.

With that said, grab a cup of Joe, get comfy on the sofa and give a warm welcome to Keta Diablo.

Hello Keta and welcome to The Cafe. It's good to have you here.

It's good to be here Blackraven. I'm really excited considering that my main character Meko also shifts into a Raven.

That is so true and I must admit that Meko is one powerful, sexy Raven at that. I found this story very intriguing and was engrossed from page one. If any of you are interested, checkout my review at Blackraven's Reviews by CLICK HERE. You won't be sorry. Meko's story is amazing.

Yes, his story is amazing. Of all the stories that I've written, Meko is very close to my heart.

I can definitely understand why. Keta, I thought that we'd begin today with you telling us a little about yourself.

Let's see...I always find it funny that people ask my what I wanted to be when I grow up and are shocked when I say, first a boy, hahahahah, and then a writer. It's probably because I grew up with all boys, and there are a ton of them. I have no idea how I lived through childhood.

I still ask my mother, "Where were you?" I almost drowned in a pond when I was four, got hit by a utility truck when I was five, hit in the head by a baseball bat when I was seven, and got stabbed in the hand during a game of stretch when I was ten. I have the scars to prove all the injuries. To this day, my brothers won't fess up, but they did watch out for me while I was growing up. Can you imagine? I would be dead if they hadn't.

LOL! Keta, I can imagine. I have 7 half brothers, 6 living and 2 half sisters and one full sister. I get exactly where you're coming from and although I'm probably the tamest of them all, we managed to find madness and mayhem at every turn. There was a point in our lives that our parents told us if we went to jail that we were on our own. I have several childhood bruises myself. Now, of course, nothing compared to what you have, but I must admit that it did and still does make life very interesting having so many siblings.

I know what you mean Blackraven. As for my own family, I have three children, two boys and a daughter. The first two are ten years older than the youngest, and they have always been very good friends. And yes, they are all from the same father.

Hey, I'm not judging. There is 11 years difference between myself and my youngest sister, so I know how that goes. *evil grin* Speaking of your significant other and family, what do they think about you writing erotic romance?

My family has always been very supportive, but I seldom take their word verbatim. Of course, my mother thinks all my books are fabulous, but she’s my mother after all. Trying to get an unbiased critique from her is difficult. My children don’t read my books – and that’s a good thing, but they are very respectful and accommodating about my writing schedule.

Keta, that's wonderful that you have such a supportive family. Now, you mentioned that it's difficult to get an unbiased critique from your mom, which leads to my next question. Do you have a critique partner or belong to a group? What about beta readers...do you have any?

I don’t belong to any critique groups, but have two wonderful beta readers. I’m notorious for thinking faster than I can type and will often leave out small words. They’re very good at finding those missing words and other small things. And if I’ve said in Chapter one the character’s eyes are blue and then referred to them as green in Chapter Four, they always catch things like that.

Well, if Where the Rain is Made is any indication of your work, then your beta readers do a wonderful job. I really enjoyed this story, which leads to my next question. When you're writing how do you develop your plots and characters? Do you consider yourself a plotter or a panster? Moreover, in your opinion, what makes a good story?

Wow! That's definitely a mouth full, Blackraven. Let's start with what makes a good story. For me, it's the plot. You can have the best characters in the world, but without a great, fascinating story, what do you have? The meat of the story has to be there, and then interesting characters to play the roles.

With that said...if you haven't already figured it out, I consider myself a plotter. I plot everything in my head for a long, long time before I even think about writing it down. I go through every scene, every conversation until I know the story and the characters very well. Once I feel I know how they would act in a certain situation or what they would say during a scene, then I write the scene.
I’ve tried the note cards, the outlines, the planners, but it doesn’t work for me. If I don’t know the people and the story, it’s hard telling what would be on the paper.

In regards to how I develop my plots, I don’t use a formula. If anything reviewers have often said, “Keta Diablo likes to write the politically incorrect characters.” I take that as a compliment. I hope I don’t write cookie cutter characters, and strive to make sure they have flaws, warts and blemishes. We all do in real life, so I don’t feel it would be a fair portrayal to make my characters perfect.

I love characters with flaws. For me, it's what brings them to life and makes me feel a part of the story. I now everyone is dying to know about Where The Rain iIs Made, so Keta, tell us about your awesome current release.

Thank you for asking about Where The Rain Is Made. My youngest son is responsible for the inspiration behind the book. About six years ago he took a keen interest in American history, particularly Native American history. I can’t tell you the number of hours we spent at the library checking out books and reading about all the different tribes. For some reason, he loved the history on the Dog Soldiers and so we accumulated a lot of documents, research articles, etc. About a year later, his reading interests shifted, and here I was with all this information about the Cheyenne. It made sense that I would write a book about the Dog Soldiers.

I must admit that it's obvious in this book that you've done your research. Please tell me that you've brought an excerpt to share with us.

Why of course! Just let me grab it out of my bag of goodies.

While you're doing that, I thought everyone might would like a peek at what Meko, aka Ethan Gray looks like. The man is sexy as sin.

LOL! That he is Blackraven! That he is!

Excerpt from Where the Rain Is Made

In the pale light of morning, Francesca spied the tall prairie grass ahead, smelled the ashen waters of the river. With the derringer clutched in her trembling hand, a blue jay screeched from a low-hanging branch as she passed. Thank God her father had taught her how to shoot the weapon. A single shot—that’s all that stood between her and death.

She remembered the acrid, black smoke and the direction from which it had come - Auraria, the miner’s camp. Her father must be dead. Please God, don’t let them find me. Tall spikes rose to her hips, rustled against her cotton pants as she threshed toward the river hoping she’d gone undetected. A desperate desire to survive coursed through her blood. She’d grab a hefty branch and float down the river so the savages couldn’t track her, would never find her.

Moments later, she emerged from the tall grass and her stomach curled. On the opposite bank of the river stood the most frightening sight she’d ever laid eyes on. She froze and her heart pounded in triple beats. When the pewter eyes locked with her, she uttered a low cry of fear. War paint covered his face, and bloody scalps hung from his waist. His passive expression revealed nothing, neither loathing nor rage, just a bland acknowledgement he’d found her.

She recovered her senses and raised the derringer, her voice cracking under the fear. “Don’t come near me! I know how to use this. If you take another step, I’ll shoot.”

Brief admiration flashed in the gunmetal eyes, and something else. Oh, Lucifer, had he somehow discovered she wasn’t a boy? Her heart sank.

Treading the shallow water, he advanced and she retreated, tripping over her own feet. She drew back on the trigger and fired. Morbid fascination gripped her when the bullet whirred through the air and carved out a shallow groove near his temple. A stream of blood trickled from the wound and streamed down his cheek. And what fine cheekbones they were. Every feature of his handsome face swam before, the high forehead, hypnotic eyes and generous mouth. Perfect was the only word that filtered into her befuddled mind.

Cesca turned on her heels and sprinted toward the marsh grass, painfully aware of the rock-hard body slamming her to the ground. A long breath of air rushed from her lungs and stars exploded behind her eyes. Pinned by his weight, she clawed at the earth and choked on the sand and damp moss spiraling up her nose. Struggling to remain conscious, the pain in her ribs nearly blinded her. The rough texture of rope brushed her wrists and strong hands bound her hands behind her back.

Then darkness claimed her.

This is one fantastic story. Keta, I know that you're short on time today, as your blog tour is keeping you busy. In fact, Keta will be at Seriously Reviewed today as well, so be sure to drop by and learn more about Where The Rain Is Made and earn another chance to win a copy of Keta's new release. However, before you go, tell us about your next release.

Oh, boy . . . which one? I’m writing a follow-up to Blood Oath, a vampire story for Amber Quill Press and a follow-up to Hot and Sticky for Amber Quill Press. I still have two novellas to finish out the CROSSROAD series for Phaze, and I’d love to write a sequel to Where The Rain Is Made.

I'd love you to write a sequel to Where The Rain Is Made, as well. It could be a wonderful series. Please let me know if you do, as I anxiously wait with my fingers crossed.

Keta, thank you so much for dropping by The Cafe this morning. I've had a wonderful time chatting with you and hope you come back to visit us soon.

Thank you Blackraven! I've enjoyed myself as well and would love to come back again.

CONTEST

Hey everyone,

Before you go, Keta would like to have a contest and give one lucky winner a copy of Where The Rain Is Made. It's an awesome book, so I'm really excited that you have not just one, but two opportunities today to win a copy. As I said earlier, Keta will also be at Seriously Reviewed giving away a copy of Where The Rain Is Made, so be sure to stop by and partake in the fun.

Since it's Saturday morning, let's keep it simple. Here are the rules...
1. Must be or become a member of The Cafe
2. Must follow Keta's Erotic Romance Blog, http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com
3. Must leave a comment with your name and email address in case you win
4. Must have fun

Of course this is an overnight contest; therefore, you have until Noon (CST) Sunday afternoon to post your response in the COMMENTS section below. The lucky winner will be selected using the True Random Number Generator from RANDOM.ORG. Once the winner is selected, I will notify Keta and she'll send the book to your directly.

You can find out more about Where The Rain Is Made by visiting the publisher’s site, Decadent Publishing, http://tinyurl.com/37oepsy.

You can also read Chapter One and part of Chapter Two here: http://tinyurl.com/2drur2y

Keta is very active on Twitter and would love to have you follow her: http://www.twitter.com/ketadiablo.

Good Luck Everyone and Thanks For Dropping By Keta!

WHERE THE RAIN IS MADE BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

September 12th

Leilani Loves Books.com

http://www.leilanilovesbooks.com/

September 13th

Bitten By Paranormal Romance

www.bittenbyparanormalromance.com

September 14th

Lovin' Me Some Romance

http://www.lovinmesomeromance.com/

September 15th

The Divas Bookcase

http://www.divasbookcase.blogspot.com/

TWO BLOGS, September 16th

That’s What I’m Talking About

http://twimom227.blogspot.com/

The Geeky Bookworm

http://thegeekybookworm.blogspot.com/

TWO BLOGS: September 17th

Book Lovers Inc. Blog

http://book-lovers-inc.blogspot.com/

Jojos Book Corner

http://jojosbookcorner.blogspot.com/

TWO BLOGS - September 18

Seriously Reviewed

http://www.seriouslyreviewed.com/

The Black Raven Erotic Cafe

http://theblackraveneroticcafe.blogspot.com/2009/08/contact-blackravens-erotic-cafe.html

September 19th

Not Really Southern Vamp Chick

http://not-really-southernvampchick.blogspot.com/

TWO BLOGS - September 20th

Sapphire Realm Romance Blog

http://sapphireromance.blogspot.com/

Hanging With Bells Blog

http://hangingwithbells.blogspot.com/?zx=3a5011c6fd2f43d3

TWO BLOGS: September 21st

Happily Ever After Reviews

http://www.hea-reviews.blogspot.com/

Talk About My Favorite Authors Blog

http://talkaboutmyfavoriteauthors.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer:

In accordance with new federal regulations, I am divulging that "yes" I'm an Amazon Associate. If you click on one of the books on my side bar that's connected to Amazon or my Amazon Store, I will receive a nominal percentage of your purchase. Trust me when I say, nominal is being nice. I became an Amazon Associate because of their cool widgets and to help you better locate books. If you have any questions for me, please feel free to contact me off-line at theblackraven36 AT yahoo DOT com.

Thank you for continuing to follow and subscribe to The Blackraven's Erotic Cafe, as it is greatly appreciated.

The Blackraven