Thursday, January 26, 2012

Guest Post & Giveaway: Katie Reus & Alpha Instinct


A little about Katie Reus: I’ve been reading romance from a young age—ever since I discovered my mom’s hidden stash. Luckily the addiction stayed with me into adulthood. I write paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense for Carina Press, Harlequin Nocturne, and NAL/Signet Eclipse. To learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, facebook or find me on twitter @katiereus.

Welcome to MBB, Katie!

Thank you so much to Michelle for having me here today at her blog!

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a fascination with all things paranormal and supernatural. And when the show Supernatural came out? I was in freaking heaven (even if the sexy Winchester brothers do tend to hunt some of the creatures I like). Now paranormal shows seem to be taking over the airwaves (True Blood, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Fringe, Ghost Hunters) and I totally dig it. 

So it’s no surprise that I also love visiting haunted places. In the past few years I’ve been on some fun haunted tours. I’ve been on a haunted tour in New Orleans (more than once) that’s more of a history lesson than anything else (but very interesting). I’ve also been to the lighthouse in Pensacola Florida that’s supposedly one of the most haunted lighthouses in America. But I must say my favorite haunted tour was in Saint Augustine Florida. There are so many haunted spots there but the Huguenot Cemetery was by far the creepiest (and coolest). 

Established in 1821, the Huguenot Cemetery is close to the city gates (another haunted hotspot but that’s for another blog post). There was a problem with yellow fever and this cemetery was used to bury Protestants in the ancient city. A little over ten years after it was created a Presbyterian church bought it and by the end of the 19th century it was closed because of overcrowding. The most well-known ghost lurking in this cemetery is Judge John Stickney. In 1882 on a trip to Washington DC he became sick and died of typhoid fever, but his body was brought back to Saint Augustine to be put to rest. Years later his children decided to move up north and had his body exhumed to be brought with them. Didn’t they know you’re not supposed to disturb the dead? Apparently there was some sort of disturbance when his body was dug back up and someone stole all his gold teeth in the chaos. While his body was transferred up north, his ghost supposedly remains in Huguenot Cemetery (probably looking for his stolen teeth!) haunting it to this day. When my husband and I were there we didn’t see the judge, but a woman on the tour with us snapped a bunch of digital pictures of the graveyard and I swear, there was a male face next to one of the tombstones. It was soooo creepy. 

This story doesn’t have anything to do with my upcoming release. I just wanted to share a little bit about myself. As you can probably tell, I’m a total junkie for anything related to the supernatural! Even though I started out writing romantic suspense it was only a matter of time before I turned to the paranormal genre. I’m glad I did because that’s how the Moon Shifter series was born. I love researching legends and lore of various creatures and while I like vampires, I adore werewolves and shifters. Hopefully that’s obvious in my upcoming release Alpha Instinct (1st book in a new paranormal series).


Fear has a scent. So does desire…

Ana Cordona has been a strong leader for the lupine shifters who survived after all the males and most of the females in her pack were mysteriously poisoned. As tough as she is, with no Alpha male, the pack is vulnerable to the devious shifter Taggart, who wants to claim both their ranch and Ana as his own. When Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before—and reluctantly accept his offer to mate.

The minute Connor sees Ana again, it reawakens a raw hunger. He must have her for his bondmate—his wolf cries out for it. But his human side knows he must proceed with caution because of their complicated past. If he is to truly have her body and soul, he must go beyond his burning desire and win back her heart. Whatever it takes, he is determined not to leave her side again.
But Taggart and his rival pack are not their only enemies. A human element in town is targeting shifters. Their plan not only threatens Ana and Connor’s future, but the lives of the entire pack…

Now for the giveaway:

What do you love about paranormal romance? Do you like ghost tours? Which ones have you been on? Answer any of the questions and be entered to win a copy of Alpha Instinct, my upcoming paranormal release from Signet Eclipse (2 copies up for grabs, US & Canada only eligible).

My answers are easy:  

1. I love the Alpha Males!  :)
2. No ghosties for me - I'm a big chicken.

But what about you?  Leave your answers in a comment along with a valid email addy and you are entered to win. Giveaway will run through Sunday 1-29-12 and using Random dot Org, the (2) winners will chosen and announced on Monday 1-30-12.

I'd like to thank Katie Reus for stopping by MBB and for the generous giveaway of (2) copies of Alpha Instinct.

My review of Alpha Instinct can be found here.


Thanks again to Michelle for having me here today!



20 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the shifters..doesn't really HAVE to be an Alpha, however Alpha's are preferrable LOL!

Thanks for the great giveaway! :)

kristinaparmenter51(at)gmail(dot)com

Riva said...

I love the fact that, in most PNRs, the female lead is strong enough to handle that Alpha male!

Haven't done any ghost tours, but it might be fun - but only if there are happy ghosts!

Riva said...

OOPS - forgot to leave my email address:

dulcibelle [at] earthlink [dot] net

CrystalGB said...

Hi Katie. Your book sounds great. What I like about paranormal romance is the strong, alpha heroes, the kick butt heroines, the amazing world building and the smoking, hot romance. I never been on a ghost tour.
Crystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com

Nicole said...

Love alpha males. I have looked at this book to buy several times and this interview cinched it. I will be buying.
nnobles5@AOL.com

Cathy M said...

Shifter stories are my absolute favorite paranormal reads. Something about the animal characteristic blended with human wants and needs is just fascinating, and most times wildly imaginative.

No ghosts for me either. I stay way clear of all those haunted houses and rides on Halloween.

caity_mack at yahoo dot com

Estella said...

Sexy alpha males!

I have never been on a ghost tour--would love to take one.

Alisia said...

love the strong female leads with the hot males following behind. never been on a ghost tour but i would like to.
thanks for the giveaway!
nightsky110222(at)gmail(dot)com

Diane said...

I love shifters, they are so Alpha; they have strength both outer and inner, feelings, humor.
I believe in ghosts but have never visited any haunted places or seen any ghosts.

dsadler53 at yahoo dot ca

Linda Henderson said...

I've never been on a ghost tour, wouldn't want to either. I like werewolves and shifters. Particularly the big cat shifters. Love those Alpha's.

seriousreader at live dot com

donnas said...

Its the aspect of the fantastic that really adds something to the story. That little bit of unbelievable that adds just something more to the story.

Ive been on 2 ghost tours. One in New Orleans and one in Chicago. While both cities have plenty of haunted locations. The one in New Orleans was better.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

Katie Reus said...

Thank you so much to Michelle for having me here today!

And thank you everyone for your great answers :)

JenniferK said...

I love paranormal romance because it has sexy alpha males. I would love to go on a ghost tour because my husband and I definitely believe in ghosts. We even stayed at a haunted hotel once but didn't see anything while we were there.

jcalvert719(at)yahoo(dot)com

Helen said...

I love ghost walks. When my boyfriend and I went to Hilton Head,SC I made him drive us to Savannah,Ga just to go on the ghost walk.
helldog3 at aol.com

Squenn said...

Ok, I love things that go bump in the night and reading different authors take on the paranormal. And I'm going to NOLA this summer and hope to get some haunted tours in! Your book looks awesome Katie! Best of luck!

jfort357 said...

Can't wait to read Alpha Instinct!!! Added it to my TBR list!!! Sounds very intriguing!! I love the mysterious & sexiness of a shifter in a paranormal romance!!! I enjoy ghost tours!!! I've toured the Myrtles Plantation in Saint Francisville, LA!! It was so awesome!!! I've also gone on a night ghost tour in New Orleans!!! Love all the mysterious history of these tours!!! ;-) Thanks for the chance to win!!!

jfort357(at)bellsouth(dot)net

ML said...

I think that I love the possibilities about paranormal romance. In contemporary you're w/i the boundaries of the normal world, but in paranormal anything goes!

I do like ghost tours. I went on a tour of haunted sites in Salem, MA several years ago and it was fun! I took lots of pictures and didn't get anything spooky, but I was hoping for some!

mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

June M. said...

I love paranormals because the stories and the worlds they happen in are unique creations of the authors. Each author can choose what rules, characters, etc are in their series and this makes each series different. Not to mention the HAWT Alpha Males who are a little dangerous...YUM!

I have not been on any ghost tours. I tend to be too skeptical so I would probably ruin it for everyone else cause I would be looking for the logical reason. I don't necessarily NOT believe, I am just not convinced.

Your book sounds great! I would love to win a copy of ALPHA INSTINCT to read.

June
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

I love shifters because they are Alpha. I like that they are dominant and protective, sometimes possessive. Shifter heroes can get away with that type of behavior when regular heroes can't.

geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I love the possibilities, the what ifs.

Never been on a ghost tour but would love to
GFC- Lisa Richards

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/