Guest blogger Samantha Sommersby

Today I bring you the wonderfully talented, Samantha Sommersby. Her Forbidden series hooked me from day one and I have been impatiently waiting for this latest release, The Temptation for farrrr too long. Sam can tell you just how impatient I was...always nagging her to get it finished. LOL
Of course, now that it's been released I dashed right out and bought it. I haven't had the opportunity to read it yet (other than the tempting excerpts she's teasingly provided) but i am definitely going to get started on it soon.

Once upon a time I had a HUGE crush on Byron from The Awakening and The Claim but alas, he has been pushed aside by this latest hunk, Jake. I love a hairy man and Jake certainly fills that desire. :) Not sure what I'm talking about...then read what Sam has for us all today.

Samantha Sommersby
Forbidden: The Temptation

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Terry Kate, the creative genius behind Romance in the Back Seat. Terry combined her love of Romance novels and film to create this really wild project called Romance in the Back Seat! The Black Cab Sessions, in part, inspired the idea. Terry is currently living and working in Los Angeles. She drove down to San Diego last weekend to do the shoot – the results of which should be up in a couple weeks (http://romanceinthebackseat.com).

Boy, was I nervous. I’m a writer and the idea of being on camera was very intimidating. I was able to read a short excerpt from my new release, Forbidden: The Temptation, which I practiced ahead of time (over and over and over). One thing that Terry explored during the interview was my choice to write the Forbidden series in the first person point of view from the perspective of the hero.

When Shiela asked me to guest blog this week, I thought maybe I’d share the reason behind that choice with you AND a little snippet from the book. I hope you like it!

Most urban fantasy seems to be written from the POV of the female protagonist. There are so many wonderful series out there that use vampire mythology. I wanted the Forbidden series to be different enough that it would somehow be set apart in the reader’s mind. Although I use traditional lore, I also created some rules, etc., that are unique to the Forbidden universe. Traditionally vampires are portrayed as strong, powerful, creatures of seduction. I wanted my vampire hero to be a little more relatable, more accessible to the reader. There’s no better way to do that than to let the reader inside the hero’s head and heart. The first person POV allows for a very immediate, intimate, and intense experience. Now I’m hooked on writing that way. So the voice that you hear when you read Forbidden: The Temptation belongs to the books hero, Jake Madison. (And what a hunky hero he is – see evidence below)



Summary:

There’s a fine line between man and beast…one only the heart can cross.

A year ago, Jacob Madison got more than he bargained for during a rock-climbing trip to Yosemite. A freak accident left him badly injured, at the mercy of the elements—and the wolves who rescued him. If it hadn’t been for them, he’d be dead. He’d also still be human. Now he’s back, hoping to find out who he is and what he’s become. Instead, he finds smart, sexy Allison Connelly.

A forensic psychologist, Allison is newly divorced and proudly standing on her own two feet…until an unexpected storm shears off the snow bank she’s standing on. She plunges down an icy ravine, thinking she’s heading for oblivion. Then she lands in the arms of a tall, dark Texan. Jake.

Brought together by circumstance and bound by passion, secrets from their past threaten their future before it can begin. And somewhere in the mountains lurks a rogue Were turned serial killer. Whatever the danger Jake’s inner beast poses to Allison, there’s only one way to protect her—unleash it. Even if it costs him her love.

Warning: This book contains raging winter storms, truly inspiring sex, a kick-butt heroine, and one very hot, dirty-talking cowboy…who’s sometimes furry.

Excerpt from Forbidden: The Temptation
Copyright © 2009 Samantha Sommersby

All rights reserved — a Linden Bay Romance publication

I was running through the forest. The snow was so cold and coming down so heavy it felt as if I was being rained on by glass, thin shards pelting against my naked skin. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t slow down. If I did, it would find me. I lengthened my stride, pushing myself like never before. I could outrun this, whatever it was, if only I could push through the pain.
I could see the clearing up ahead, covered in a blanket of white. Unspoiled. Pristine. My lungs burned, the cold air scalding them, scorching them. Then I felt it, the brush of fur rolling, unfurling. Faster. Faster, I pushed myself. Jumping over fallen trees. Ducking under branches. Trying to avoid the rocks that were buried beneath the snow. My feet were cut and bleeding.
As I reached the edge of the clearing I saw them. Wolves. They weren’t chasing me. They were waiting for me, baying, calling.
“God, no!” I shouted out, raising my arms up towards the sky. Begging. Pleading. I searched the heavens, realizing too late, and only then, as I stared into the light of the full moon, that the beast I’d been running from was me.
“It’s easier if you don’t fight it,” one said.
“Just let go,” another said. “Let it happen.”
“Accept what you are.”
But I couldn’t. I didn’t. I fought. I fought to hold on as my bones broke and knitted back together, muscle and sinew torn apart, reshaped, then reformed. My screams shattered the darkness, merging with the sounds of the wolves until they were indistinguishable. Claws formed, teeth elongated and then finally, when I was no longer able to stand on my own two feet, my flesh shredded in an explosion and a thick coat of fur burst forth, allowing me to blend into the shadows.
My eyes flew open.
Night had fallen and my breaths were coming quick and heavy. I was drenched in sweat despite the fact that the fire was almost out and the temperature inside the cabin had dropped.
I climbed out of bed and moved quietly over towards the window. The snow continued to fall outside. The moon had risen and I with it. I always felt more alive, more aware when the moon was up, as if its light was a source of energy. Its power radiated through me, making each and every nerve hum in an inexplicable way.
“Are you okay?”
I closed my eyes and nodded. “Bad dream.”

Available now in eBook at:
Linden Bay Romance: http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-forbiddenthetemptation-7253-140.html
All Romance eBooks:"http://allromanceebooks.com/index.html
My Bookstore and More:"http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/shop/product.da/forbidden-the-temptation"

Coming Soon in Print!

To find out more about Samantha Sommersby and the world of the Forbidden, visit the author’s website http://www.samamthasommersby.com/"
or
MySpace Page http://www.myspace.com/samanthasommersby