Aliens, Paranormals & Love: Meet Tamara Hogan and W*n CHASE ME

Today, I'd like to welcome Tamara Hogan, an author of paranormal romance whose book Taste Me was one of my favorite reads last year, with strong worldbuilding and great characters that had humor and heart (and hotness). Her new book, Chase Me, came out a couple of weeks ago, and I can't wait to dig in! You can read more about Tamara and find buy links to her books on her website. Read on for a chance to win a copy of Chase Me, generously offered by Sourcebooks Casablanca.

ABOUT CHASE ME: Centuries ago, when their ship crashed to Earth, paranormals of all types settled secretly in our world, quietly going about their business with humans none the wiser. Self-ruling and careful to stay below humanity's radar, all is threatened when Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger and her werewolf geologist partner Gabe Lupinsky inadvertently draw evil attention to Earth and its treasured natural resources. As the threat intensifies, Lorin and Gabe struggle to contain the chaos they’ve unleashed, and to resist their explosive mutual attraction. Read an excerpt here.

Now, let’s hear from Tamara. Welcome!

How does Chase Me tie in with Taste Me (each works as a standalone)?

Though they were both dating other people at the time, Lorin and Gabe shared a scene – and some sparks – in Taste Me. Half a year later, after the events of the first book, Chase Me opens with Gabe having to travel to Lorin’s home turf, a remote archaeological site located in northern Minnesota, to exert some damage control.  

What is your favorite scene in the book?

I think the scene that I had the most fun writing was the scene where my sophisticated vampire villain walks into a northern Minnesota dive bar. Completely out of his element, he has to navigate unfamiliar territory while trying to gather information about the mysterious archaeological dig down the road. His language chip is outdated, the smells drive him nuts, and there are dead animals hanging on the wall. I enjoyed trying to see this familiar setting through fresh eyes.

Hardest scene to write:

Probably the book’s first scene, when Gabe's vision degrades. This isn't doing necessarily to the subject matter, but because it was the last scene I wrote, at my editor’s urging. She wanted readers to be absolutely certain who the book's hero was, wanted him to appear in the book earlier than Chapter 2. Writing this scene gave me an opportunity to provide information about how serious Gabe's vision problems are in a more visceral way.

What’s on your nightstand or top of your TBR pile?

Let’s see…on the nightstand is Nalini Singh’s latest (AWESOME!) and on Kindle I’m reading Vivi Andrews’s Superlovin’. (Voice.For.Miles, and hilarious!) In TBR, there are about twenty Harlequin SuperRomances I picked up from the library book sale, and this month’s box of Blazes (I'm a long-time subscriber).

Favorite book when you were a child:

This is a tough question for me to answer, because I don't really distinguish between childhood books and adult books. I hit the adult stacks at the library when I was 10 years old; there was no such thing as YA back in the day! I have vivid memories of blasting through Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden and the Little House on the Prairie series, but interspersed with those books were adult romance novels, Stephen King's Carrie, Frank Herbert’s Dune and about twenty linear feet of Harlequin Presents.

Book you've faked reading:

I was a college English major, so I've actually read Moby Dick—but I probably horrified my professor when I said—aloud—that I much preferred Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast. I admit to having faked reading any and all Dostoyevsky. As a character once said in Mario Puzo’s Fools Die, “Dostoyevsky took 150 pages to let out a fart."  I prefer a speedier pace.

Book you're an evangelist for:

Deidre Knight’s Butterfly Tattoo. Most people are familiar with Deirdre’s work as an agent, but she's also a fantastic writer. This story about a bisexual hero who’s grieving the death of his longtime partner and falls in love with a woman, is gorgeously, gorgeously done. Nalini Singh’s first Psy-Changeling book, Slave to Sensation, and first Guild Hunters book, Angels’ Blood, are master classes in world building, and her sensory descriptions are, in my opinion, unrivaled. I can't recommend these books and the follow-ups highly enough.

Book you've bought for the cover:

This might be heresy, but I'm largely immune to most advertising and marketing. I don’t buy books based on the cover. That said, I find the cover for Jaci Burton’s The Perfect Play absolutely drool-worthy—and, most importantly, it was a very enjoyable book.

Book that changed your life:

I would have to say Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire, which one could argue created the paranormal romance genre. While reading it, I just felt this mental ‘click’ that let me know that I was home.

Favorite line from a book:

Chapter One, Line One, of Kresley Cole’s No Rest for the Wicked: “For the second time in her life, Kaderin the Coldhearted hesitated to kill a vampire." World building, characterization, and back story in a single sentence. Absolute bloody genius. This book is one of my Top Ten All Time Favorites.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Tie between Rice’s Interview With the Vampire and Frank Herbert’s Dune.   

Most horrifying moment while reading a book:

Back before I was published, I always found it horrifying to read a romance novel that was published despite purple prose, grammar errors, typos and continuity problems. I still do.

Favorite book about books or writing:

It's a tie between On Writing by Stephen King and Passionate Ink: Writing the Erotic Romance by Angela Knight. Even if you're not writing erotic romance, Passionate Ink has a lot of practical information, very simply stated. It’s the most frequently used craft book I own.  

You know the drill to win a copy of Chase Me. One entry for comment, another for blog follow, a third for a Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a Tweet or Retweet. Now...Go forth and comment!