Meet MaryLynn Bast Guest Author

Today I am hosting MaryLynn Bast the author of No Remorse, and she is in the middle of her Heart of a Wolf blog tour.

Welcome to my blog, MaryLynn. She and I met on the discussion boards of SheWrites, which is a wonderful place for all women writers. We are both in the group Blooming Late which is made of women writers who are all 40 and over, who decided to write later in their lives. MaryLynn is here as part of her blog tour and I am very happy to be hosting her.

Her book, No Remorse, has just been released. Here is more about MaryLynn Bast in her own words:

At times I wish I could say I was just like nearly every other teenage girl, sneaking out of the house to go hang out with friends doing whatever it was they were doing to get into trouble. Well, that wasn’t me. I was the girl who stayed at home, did her best not to get into trouble because home life was already bad enough. I found at an early age that I preferred to escape into a good book. While everyone else was out getting drunk or high, I was in my room with my nose in a book. I was escaping into my own reality through romance where the hero always got the girl and they lived happily ever after.

When I was fifteen, I bought myself a manual typewriter and yes I’m dating myself with that one. I sat for hours pounding away at the keys writing my own romance stories, then ripping them up and throwing them away because I didn’t want anyone seeing them. Especially not my stepfather who always told me I was wasting my time. But I kept at it and eventually bought a word processor and continued writing. Of course, I lost all of the stories with leaving home, getting married, then going through a divorce. But I never stopped writing. The word processor turned into a desk top, then eventually a laptop I could take with me wherever I went.

I continued to write and family seemed to like my stories but I never did anything with them, because families are supposed to be nice and supportive. One day, I decided to show a friend my writing and they really liked it. With encouragement, I began writing in earnest. “Softest Touch” was my first try at writing a mystery. My husband really enjoyed it and when my friend suggested that I try writing a short story for a werewolf contest I gave it a shot and No Remorse was created at 1500 words long. I was proud of myself for actually coming up with a character, but it needed lots of work. Sitting it aside, I didn’t submit it to the contest but continued writing “Softest Touch.”

Traveling in S. Korea for work, I found myself sitting in my hotel room and I pulled “No Remorse” out and read it again and thought huh, I can make this into something. I sat down and the story began to flow. Working with my beta readers and editors, and chatting with my aunt Peggy for hours on end while I was writing, No Remorse became a reality for me and is now a published novel.

I have had this dream since I was a kid, but would never tell anyone for fear that they would think I was wasting my time. While writing No Remorse my husband has been very supportive and has been the one to really push me to keep writing. Though he wanted me to finish “Softest Touch,” he tells me constantly that he is amazed that I can come up with the stories like this. His story is next in line to become a novel in the Heart of a Wolf Series, being a plain mystery into a paranormal, mystery and romance all rolled into one. I have always loved wolves, even had a half wolf when I was younger. Writing about them just seems natural to me and since this is my world, I can make up the rules as I go along, as long as I make them realistic to my followers. So naturally, “Softest Touch” will be another werewolf story. There are plans in the work for other genre’s, which will be listed on my website at www.heartofawolf.com once those plans are finalized. I am currently in discussions with a publisher but will keep that hush, hush, until it is finalized.

The reason for the blog tour in which this post is a part of, is my novel No Remorse.

Mary Lynn's Bio:

MaryLynn Bast is a Texas native who is currently living it up in Las Vegas. Bast writes paranormal fantasy romance because it allows her imagination to run rampant, permitting the characters of her stories to obtain abilities not possible in the real world, or is it? MaryLynn is married to Patrick, has three children, three step children and enjoys traveling the world.

Being the curious person I am, I wanted to know more about this fascinating woman. Here is her interview.


Guest Author Questions for MaryLynn Bast:

How does a Texas girl feel living in Las Vegas?
I miss Texas my family and friends the most! The people are friendlier there and even though there are tourist areas in Texas, it't not all about the tourist. What I like about being in Vegas is that it is always open and all my friends seems to go to Vegas at one time or another, so I always have someone "in town" who can come and visit. When I am home that is.

I know I would love to find someone I know who lives in Vegas!

Where have you traveled and why do you like traveling?
I have traveled extensively across the US, S. Korea and Japan. I like seeing the countryside and meeting new people, experiencing new culture. I get new ideas for my stories from the people I meet and the places I see.

What is your favorite book or books and your favorite author or authors? 
I have three favorite authors and love every book I have read from all three of them. Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan and Laruell K. Hamilton

Are you a plotter or a panther? 
I am completely a Pantser. I usually come up with a story line, a character and automatically give it a title. I usually have a pretty good idea how the story will start, what will happen and how it will generally end by the time I get halfway though. I then go back through many times adding scenes here and there, clarifying this or that until I am comfortable with my story.

In that we are alike. I just start a story and when it is shaping up to be more than just a journal entry I work on it.:) I have stopped writing to carve out the plot a little more or work on the character development. I believe characters drive the plot, so their development is crucial.

In what other genres do you write?
My comfort zone is romance. With No Remorse, I jumped without my safety net and stuck the landing, now I'm just waiting for the panel of judges to judge me. I have several stories going right now in diverse genres: Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Dark Thriller, Adventure and even an Erotica.

Please tell us more about your WIP.
With No Remorse complete and published, I have several projects I am working on. “Softest Touch” is the second novel in the series and is at 35,000 words. Anticipated completion and release is set for early 2013. I just completed “A Justified Kill”, a 20k+ short story that tells the story of Amber’s first kill that is mentioned in No Remorse and the chaos that ensues. This story will be released in an anthology mid-summer 2012. “One Bite To Passion” is an erotic story I am currently 25,000 words into. I am in talks and will know soon if this story will be released through a publisher, early summer.

“Dream Walker” is a sci-fi that I am working on and will be releasing as a short story in an e-book later this year along with “The Hostage” which is an action, thriller short story of the character Marcello, from “No Remorse”.

There are many stories that have been started and are sitting waiting for me to get the time to delve back in and flesh them out.

Wow, you are a very busy lady and I wish you great success with the rest of your tour. I am happy to be a stop on the tour. Thank you for being my guest here today.

Blurb:

The story is a paranormal romance with a twist of suspense and lots of action. I wanted my main character to be different because all the books and movies about werewolves have been predominantly male main characters. In my story, the main character is Amber, a werewolf who has abilities no other werewolf has ever possessed due to her unusual birth. On the run all her life, she is torn from her family and is forced to leave Blake behind, her one true love. Alone, Amber avoids other werewolves at all costs. Until one day while out running, she comes across an accident and finds that Blake is on the brink of death. She knows if she saves his life she will be pulled into the middle of his pack, but she can’t allow him to die. The Council has chased her all her life and she must remain on the run to avoid capture. Staying with Blake will put him and his pack in danger. Amber must decide if she is willing to risk Blake’s life to have the relationship she has longed for. She is still learning of her own capabilities. When Isaac, the Council’s Leader, shows up for her will her special abilities be enough to keep Blake and his pack safe? Or will Isaac capture her and find out what her abilities are and use them for his own means?

Excerpt from No Remorse:

Amber immediately sensed the stillness in the trees. The sun was shining brightly, but she felt that something was off, just not right. It was too still, too quiet. Something was hiding in the shadows of the leaves and bushes. The thickness of the forest provided perfect cover where it surrounded the house. Whatever, or whoever it was, lurked there, just out of sight. She sniffed the air and in an instant instinct drove her to protect her mate. Amber stepped in front of Blake the moment the boy dropped to the ground with a painful cry.

Her skin rippled as a gunshot quickly rang for the second time and landed with a thud in one of the trees next to the house, just feet from where they had just been standing. She felt Blake pulling her to the side, driving them both to the ground. Naturally, she tucked and rolled with the fall. Blake rolled with her and they both came up in the same crouching position, with him beside her. The move was smooth and looked like they had practiced together for years. They shifted in unison, ripping through their clothes as they changed.

They were already moving when the third shot rang out from the trees, again missing his intended target as the two wolves sprang apart. Their sensitive ears heard the muffled curses as the rifle jammed on the attempt to shoot a fourth shot. They heard the leaves rustling wildly as the shooter scrambled from his hiding position and began running through the thick bushes, running for his life.

Blake and Amber ran faster. They ran silently, making a wide circle and came at the gunman from opposite sides. They watched the man struggling to get through the thick brush, not making it very far. The leaves covering the hidden roots and the thickets hindered his escaped. The roots, as well as the tree limbs, appeared to reach out and tear at him when he tried to run away, causing him to stumble with each step he took.

Amber pushed her senses out into the forest, seeking other wolves in the area. Other than the ones who ran into the yard to help the boy, she and Blake were the only ones in this part of the forest. Amber’s mind sought Blake’s.

He’s alone, Amber informed him while they stalked the man from opposite sides.

Don't kill him, we need him alive, Blake told her when he saw her bare her large canines. She stalked towards the terrified man and gave a low guttural growl.     

The man held the useless gun in front of him like he thought it would keep him safe, “Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.” He stammered frantically looking from side to side when he saw the large growling wolves advancing menacingly towards him. He backed up, tripping over more of those blasted branches, barely catching his balance before he fell.

Amber feigned a run at the man and he swung the butt of the rifle at her. She veered out of the way before it impacted with her side. Blake's wolf seeing that the man was trying to hurt his mate lunged.

MaryLnn is giving away free copies of her book on this blog tour. Go to her website and check out all the ways you can win. Meanwhile, please leave a comment here or a question for MaryLynn. 

Links:

www.heartofawolf.com

Until the next time, I want to point out a few new things I've added to the sidebar. I am a guest on Nosey's blog on April 11th. Yes, they dragged me over, literally, to be part of one their capers. Go over and check it out. All you need to do is click on the badge that says I was a guest. I kind of like how they made me sexy in a black dress!! It looks really good on the red carpet!!!

My guest on RRWL Tales from the Pages, which has taken a 2 month hiatus but will be back on the air in April, will be Sheri Swift. She will also be my guest author on Thursday, April 19th, the week before the show. The show will be on Thursday, April, 26th at 3PM Central, 4PM EST. 

Also, tomorrow, my guest author will be Karina Fabian. I am definitely entertaining the women authors who write paranormal this week!! So for anyone who enjoys reading about werewolves and vampires this is your week!! 

Also, don't forget to check out my appearances and the guests who will be appearing here. Look at the tabs. For those who crave my poetry, the next poems will be on my author website: