The Fantastic Blog Hop presents Dellani Oakes!

Let’s welcome Dellani with 10 questions and see what she has to say, shall we?

1 Who is your favorite author and what do you enjoy most about his/her writing?

I don’t have any one favorite, I have many. I love Janet Morris’ stories in the Sanctuary novels. I also enjoy Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twaine, Donald Westlake, Douglas Adams, Eoin Colfer, Andre Norton. . . .

2 What is your favorite book or movie?

Here again, I don’t have any one favorite. I like a wide variety of books and movies. I’m most fond of action movies with hot men blowing things up.

3 What do you find yourself inspired by the most?

Life inspires me. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. I find inspiration in the every day.

4 Do you feel an affinity to any particular period of history? And do you ever use elements of it in your writing?

My most formative years were in the 60s and 70s. I think my moral values and outlook decidedly influence my writing. My characters have bits and pieces of me peppering them – I can’t separate myself from them entirely.

5 Have you ever given up on a writing project and why?

There are some writing projects that have sat around for ages, unfinished. Will I get back to them? I don’t know. For the time being, they are sitting there waiting for me to dust them off and start over. I never abandon anything forever. Like a fine wine, some need to sit and mellow a bit before I get back to them.

6 Out of any of your own creations, do you have a favorite character? Why?

I do. I am very fond of Teague in The Ninja Tattoo, but as a deep, abiding love of a character, I would have to pick Wil from Lone Wolf. I don’t know what it is about him. He’s reprehensible in many ways, but the fact that he tries to be honorable really endears him.

7 What scene, out of any project that you have written, do you like the most?

I have many that I’m fond of. I think one of my favorites is from one of my sci-fi books, The Wall of Time (prequel to Lone Wolf). In that novel, I made the hard decision to kill off a much loved character. In order for the book to progress, Murdock had to die. It was a horrible death, but he died fighting and saved his fiancee and best friend in the process. It’s exciting during the fight but so sad when he finally dies – though he won even in death. I admit, I cried like crazy as I watched him die.

8 Have you ever found yourself, in regular daily activity, thinking like one of your characters?

Yes. I find Wil in my head once in awhile. Considering what a hardcore bad ass he is, that’s a bit spooky. He and I have a similar attitude though, Stupid People Shouldn’t Breathe. Simple, to the point and finite. Though Wil would take it a step further and kill them.

9 I was asked this once, a long time ago, so I will ask you: Why do you want to write?

How can I not? It’s a compulsion and a need. It is as important to me as breathing.

10 Sum up your current work-in-progress in one sentence/ or one word.

Heh – which one?

Now, sit back and enjoy an excerpt from

The Ninja Tattoo – by Dellani Oakes

Teague met Vivica the day before, running into her with the door at the coffee shop. They very nearly get together in the afternoon, only to be interrupted by his neighbor, who brings a set of pictures that were delivered to her house by mistake. The all show Teague with a red crosshairs marked on his head. He calls the police and his cousins, Jed and Joel McMurtry, arrive. The decide to spend the night to protect Teague & Vivica. Joel fixes dinner and Vivica pays him a compliment, telling him he’s as handsome as Teague.

The men exchanged a look, then the brothers glanced at Teague to see if he would get angry.

“What?” Vivica glanced around the table. “You’re all gorgeous. Surely you know that? If I’d met one of you before I met Teague, he’d hardly stand a chance.” She took a sip of her wine, smiling at them each in turn.

“I don’t know whether to be flattered or alarmed,” Teague said. “I appreciate the compliment, darlin’, but lumping me with these two losers . . . I dunno.” He shook his head, chuckling.

Vivica giggled, holding her napkin over her mouth so she wouldn’t spew her food. “They aren’t losers, Teague. They just aren’t you. Besides, there’s something endearing about a man who hits me with a door.”

He puffed up with pride, raising an eyebrow at his cousins. “Now I’m feeling the love,” he said.

“You should,” Vivica said with a completely straight face. “It’s you I was naked with earlier, not them.”

The blush started at Teague’s neck, rose to his face and set his ears aflame. “Umm . . .”

“Good grief, that embarrassed you? They already saw the picture. Not like it’s a secret.”

“Not like you even got to have all that much fun,” Jed said, wiping his mouth. “I mean, hell, what do they call that? Coitus interruptus?”

“No, dude, that’s when you pull out before . . . ” Joel began.

“I think that we all know what that is,” Teague said loudly.

Vivica suppressed a giggle behind her napkin.

“Then what’s that called?” Jed wanted to know.

“Lost opportunity,” Teague grumbled.

“You’ll make up for it later,” Vivica assured him. “And you two will keep to your side of the house or I’ll sic the dogs on you.”

“What dogs? I don’t see any dogs,” Jed said.

Teague smiled at his cousin. “Oh, there are dogs, trust me. You’d make a nice snack for Rex. He makes Cujo look small.”

“Dude, that movie scared the shit outta me when I was a kid,” Jed said, shuddering. “I still can’t stand St. Bernards. I went on a domestic call a couple weeks ago. They had a St. Bernard and that thing did not like cops. Swear to God, I was ready to shoot it. At least the man quit beating his wife long enough to lock it up. I don’t think he wanted to add that to his arrest report.”

“He didn’t want to add you to the dinner menu,” Joel said rather unkindly.

“Let’s talk about how much you like snakes, shall we?” Jed stabbed his sausage like it was trying to kill him. He stuffed it in his mouth, chewing angrily.

“Boys,” Vivica said sternly. “Stop it. If we have to be around one another all night, you’re going to have to get along. I refuse to be cast in the role of mother.”

“If you are, can I be the daddy?” Jed flashed a lopsided grin at her, hopping up from the table when Teague took a swing at him.

“One daddy’s enough,” Vivica gave Teague a lingering kiss, picked up her dishes and strutted into the kitchen.

“Holy Mother of God!” Jed breathed when she was gone. “Teague, I love you like a brother, but I wish I’d seen her first!”

Joel could only whimper, biting his knuckle.

“‘Scuse me, boys. I think the lady could use a hand in the kitchen.” Teague got up, carrying his dirty dishes to the dishwasher. Vivica bent over, loading dishes in the machine. Her tight jeans presented an invitation Teague was loath to ignore. Biting his lip, he forced himself to put his dishes in the sink rather than dropping them on the floor. His hands itched to grab her ass from behind.

“Behave,” she cautioned without looking at him. “We have company.”

“Then don’t present me with such a delicious target.” He sighed heavily as she stood up.

“I’ll let you hit the target later,” she leaned toward him, purposely keeping her hips away from his.

“Promise?” He pulled her close, holding her hips tightly against his so she could feel his desire.

“I promise.” Vivica could picture his well toned body in her mind, remembering how he swelled with his excitement. She knew she wanted that, wanted him, more than any man she’d ever known.

Dishes clattered in the sink as the brothers set their things down, ready to leave quickly should it prove necessary. Teague and Vivica came up for air, somewhat embarrassed by their oblivious enthrallment.

“Sorry, guys. I can’t keep my hands off her.”

Joel and Jed snorted almost in unison.

“Never having been completely intoxicated by any woman,” Jed said sarcastically, “I can’t even imagine how you can focus on her and be totally unaware of anything else. I mean, I always have my wits about me when a gorgeous, greeneyed beauty looks at me like I’m her next good meal. Don’t you, Joel?”

“Sorry, you lost me at completely intoxicated,” Joel admitted. “I didn’t follow a damn thing you said after that.”

****************************

Dellani Oakes doesn’t claim to be an expert on anything, but she has a lot of experience making something out of nothing. Thrown into the world of publishing four years ago, she found that trying to promote her work was the hardest part of being an author. Since then, she’s branched out, lost her inhibitions and faced the publishing world head on.

Dellani once told her publisher that she had enough books, finished & unfinished, to keep him busy for the next 10 years. He didn’t believe her, but he should have. Two novels, Indian Summer and Lone Wolf are published by Second Wind Publishing, but she has 42 finished romance novels and at least that many (she won’t count them) that are still in the works.

One of the 42, a romantic suspense, The Ninja Tattoo, came out September 24th from Tirgearr Publishing. The sequel to Lone Wolf, Shakazhan, is coming soon from Second Wind.

Dellani Oakes is a former A.P. English teacher, photo-journalist. She’s an avid reader & reviews the work of others. She hosts two shows for the Red River Radio Network – Dellani’s Tea Time the second Monday of each month, @ 4:00 PM Eastern and What’s Write for Me, every fourth Wednesday @ 3:00 PM Eastern on Blog Talk Radio.

Look for Dellani Oakes also on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter & Good Reads, among others.

Dellani Oakes WordPress site http://dellanioakes.wordpress.com

Writer’s Sanctuary http://writersanctuary.blogspot.com

Dellani’s Choice Book Reviews http://dellanischoice.wordpress.com

The Ninja Tattoo http://theninjatattoo.wordpress.com

Indian Summer http://indiansummerbydellanioakes.wordpress.com

Lone Wolf http://lonewoldbydellanioakes.wordpress.com

See more from her on:

Dellani Oakes: http://dellanioakes.wordpress.com/ http://writersanctuary.blogspot.com/

Juli Morgan: www.julipagemorgan.com

www.julipagemorgan.com/blog

Karen Vaughan: www.karenvaughanbooks.com www.karenwritesmurder.wordpress.com

Kristen Duvall: http://www.kristenduvall.com/

Rachel Rueben: http://www.rachelrueben.com

Crimson Kildare:  http://thrutheglass.net/

http://sahussey1.wordpress.com/

http://friedgatortail.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/the-fantastic-blog-hop-dellani-oake/