Welcome fellow Lyrical Press author, Sondrae Bennett!

So glad I have Sondrae trapped in my little corner of the world today because I've been considering emailing her privately for a while now. Why? Because of her continuing success with her earlier release, Arctic Winds. Every time I check Lyrical Press' bestseller list on Fictionwise, Sondrae is constantly hovering near the top three and has been for months. Come on Sondrae, spill. How do you do that?? Tell me it's the superiority of your writing and nothing more. A lot of writers break their backs (fingers?) on promo with little success. Any tips would be gratefully received! ;)

Okay, over to you!

I’ve been reading romance novels practically my whole life. When other girls would go shopping at the mall, I preferred to curl up with my nose in a book. I got sucked into the world of charming heroes and heroines from the very beginning. Every time I picked up a book, I fell in love. With the worlds I escaped into, with the heroines, but most of all with the dashing heroes who captured the hearts of heroines and readers alike.

It wasn’t until later that I started hearing terms like “Alpha Male” and “Beta Male”. It took me awhile to spot the difference as I never felt the need to categorize the heroes I read about. But what I saw, I didn’t always like. Heroes were classified as alpha for being (pardon my language) complete dicks. Not always, plenty of men had alpha personalities without going overboard, but the cruel heroes almost always used “alpha” as an excuse for their actions. I didn’t understand it. That wasn’t my idea of a perfect guy. I like to think I would never fall for that guy in life, so why would I fall for him in fiction? But the idea of the “alpha male” was something that appealed to me. Someone who could protect unequivocally. So when I started writing the Alpine Woods Shifters series, I thought about all the things I liked and wanted when creating my heroes, my version of the alpha male.

Brendan from my latest release, The Wolf Within, is an alpha wolf shifter but with no desire to lead. He is strong enough to take down anyone who poses a threat, but doesn’t feel the need to use his strength against others unwarranted. Is he perfect? Of course not. What fun would that be? Sometime he can be a bit overbearing, a bit stubborn and forceful. But above all his love for Julie, a match more than capable of taking him on, dictates his actions.

Most importantly, he’s someone I could see myself falling in love with as I read his story. And I hope my readers can (and do!) as well. After all, isn’t that why we read romance novels? To feel all the joy and pain that comes with falling in love?

The Wolf Within is available now at Lyrical Press (http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=97_107&products_id=461), Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Within-Alpine-Woods-Shifters-ebook/dp/B0069TYLR4/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321741530&sr=1-3), and digital bookstores everywhere.

To find out more about Sondrae Bennett and upcoming releases, visit her website at www.sondraebennett.com

Blurb:

Will his love be enough to keep her safe?

Julie doesn’t know what to think when the man she’s had a crush on her entire life--a man she thinks is meant to be her sister's mate--starts flirting with her after she returns home from college. The harder she tries to distance herself, the harder he works to win her over. He can’t want to mate with her...a freak born a full human among shifters. So why won’t he accept her rejection?

Brendan's waited years for Julie's return. Now that she’s finally home, there’s nothing to keep him from her...not even her three alpha wolf brothers. But he’s not the only one after Julie. Something is stalking her and Brendan's protective instincts toward her kick in.

When the unthinkable happens, will Julie and Brendan's love give them the strength they need to persevere?

WARNING: This title contains explicit sex

Excerpt:

After waiting almost a full minute for her to notice him, Brendan coughed into his hand to get her attention. She jumped at the noise, dropping a book on her bare foot.

“Oh jeez. Are you okay?” Cursing himself for startling her, Brendan rushed over. He placed his hands on her waist as he bent down to look at her foot.

His heart skipped a beat when she wrinkled her nose and smiled. “Relax, Brendan. It’s just a paperback. It couldn’t have weighed more than half a pound.” The laughter in her eyes mesmerized. This was the teasing, happy Julie he remembered.

“Well, at least let me kiss it and make it better.” Brendan rose and brushed his lips against hers. A spark of recognition shot through him. As if his soul recognized the other half of himself. He could only hope she experienced it too. If she felt even half the desperate need he did, there would be no way she could deny him. Her hands flew to his chest, wrapping his t-shirt inside her fists. It was all the urging he needed.

Brendan pulled her body against his as his mouth ravished her. He stroked his hand down her spine, his other arm supporting as he leaned over her.

Her taste exploded inside his head, sending shockwaves through his system. It had been a long wait for this kiss, too long. He ran his tongue around her lips, savoring the moan that escaped her. Taking the bottom lip between his teeth, he felt her hands pull him closer as he gently bit down. Definitely worth the wait.

Kissing Julie was everything he’d envisioned and more. It was so easy to lose himself in her, forgetting everything but the woman in his arms. Julie. Desperate to feel her curves pressing against him, he pulled her closer.

Her moan swept against his mouth, kindling the fire inside him as her tongue tangled with his. Her naked desire triggered the primal beast inside, and the dull sting in his gums indicated his canines had extended. When he opened his eyes, he saw the distorted colors in the world around him, a sure sign they had changed to his wolf’s.

It was almost painful for him to retreat, but this wasn’t the way he wanted things. He would not let his wolf rule this situation. Even more than that, he didn’t want to frighten her. The memory of Julie backing away from him in fear would haunt him for a long time. He never wanted to frighten her again.

Closing his eyes, Brendan placed a quick kiss against the corner of her mouth and raised his head.

Julie remained mute but didn’t pull away. The silence lengthened until Brendan opened his eyes and gazed into her quizzical hazel ones.

“You missed,” she whispered. He stared at her, puzzling through her words. What was she talking about? And then it hit him. He’d told her he was going to kiss her injured foot and make it better. The end of his lips curved up in a smile.

“I did? My bad. I could always try again…” he trailed off, pulling her tighter against him. But Julie had other plans. With a stream of laughter, she pulled out of his embrace.

“Oh no. That’s quite all right.” She turned away from him, but didn’t get far before turning back, her eyes pleading with him. In that moment, he would have ripped off his arm and given it to her had she asked it of him.

Great excerpt, Sondrae and huge luck with sales and your continuing success, I salute you! Sondrae is waiting for your questions and comments...