Hello Readers! Today I bring you romance author Katie Reus. Katie fell in love with romance at a young age thanks to books she pilfered from her mom’s stash. Years later she loves reading romance almost as much as she loves writing it. However, she didn’t always know she wanted to be a writer. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in psychology and working too many jobs she hated, she finally figured things out.
She now spends her days writing dark paranormal romance and sexy romantic suspense. Her publishers include Carina Press, Harlequin Nocturne, Ellora’s Cave and earlier this month the first book in her new paranormal series released from NAL/Signet Eclipse (Penguin).
Regardless of genre, she always includes a happy ending. When she’s not creating stories she loves spending time with her husband and son.
Katie is a featured author attending Author’s After Dark in New Orleans. For more information about AAD2012, click HERE.
Please help me welcome Katie to That’s What I’m Talking About.
Twimom: Katie, welcome and thank you for stopping by.
Katie: Thank you so much for having me!
Twimom: Congratulations on your new release, Alpha Instinct (review will be posted tomorrow). This is the first title in your new Moon Shifter series. Can you please tell us a little bit about this exciting new series and the first book?Katie: The new series features a group of shifters and other paranormal beings who ‘outed’ themselves to the world twenty years ago. Even though their existence has been known for quite some time they’re still dealing with the fallout of some ignorant humans (some who have let their ignorance and hate build for years).
Ana and Connor are the two main characters in Alpha Instinct, the first story in the series. They have a history together, which is a theme I absolutely love in romance. (I love when two people get a second chance.)
After all the pregnant females and the males in her pack are killed by a mysterious poisoning, Ana is forced to take on the role of pack leader. Without an Alpha, the pack is vulnerable to her neighbor Taggart who wants not only their land, but Ana in his bed as well. Ana and her sisters are financially solid and have no problem running the business side of their ranch on their own. Unfortunately due to vandalism, cattle mutilation and some other issues they’re struggling with the security of their ranch and with their now-smaller pack numbers, they just can’t handle everything.
When sexy Scottish shifter Connor Armstrong comes back into her life, promising protection, it’s almost enough to make Ana forget how he walked out on her before. She can’t forget the way he left without a single word, as if all the time they’d spent together meant nothing to him. However, she puts her pride aside to save her pack. Violent attacks are escalating in town and she has no doubt that sooner or later people are going to start pointing fingers at her kind regardless of proof. Unless they can figure out who’s targeting them and why, a few cattle mutilations and property damage will be the least of their worries. And if Connor doesn’t gain her trust, he’ll never get the chance to claim the one woman who’s never left his thoughts.
Twimom: Wow! Sounds exciting and intense! What are your plans for the future of the Moon Shifter series?
Katie: As of right now, I have a novella scheduled to release in August of this year (right around AAD!) and the second book in the series (Primal Possession) will be releasing in September. I don’t have permission to show the cover for Primal yet, but let me just say, it’s freaking gorgeous! The 3rd book (still untitled) is set to come out around March 2013. Obviously I’d like to write more in the series but as of right now I don’t know what the future holds past book 3.
Twimom: Ohhh… I look forward to seeing the next cover! Other than paranormal romance, you have written several romantic suspense and erotic suspense titles. Do you have a favorite title you’d like to tell us more about?
Katie: It’s always hard to pick a favorite, but right now His Secret Past is totally one of my faves. It just released from Carina Press last month and it’s about a woman faced with a man from her past a month before her wedding to another man. The man from her past happens to be the father of her child (a child he never knew about, but only because he disappeared on her, not because she kept it a secret intentionally). Throw in some assassins trying to kill her and kidnap their child and it’s very intense and fast paced as well as an emotional journey about two people trying to get a second chance.
Twimom: Which genre do you prefer writing: the paranormal or the suspense? Do you find one easier than the other?
Katie: This is such a hard question! I enjoy writing in both genres and they each bring such different challenges. I research a lot for both genres and when it comes down to it, when I face challenges in writing it’s because of my characters, not genre specific. So, this is too hard! I can’t pick 😉
Twimom: Okay, you are off the hook with that one! You are a featured author at the upcoming Authors After Dark Con in New Orleans (August 2012). What are you most looking forward to? Katie: There’s so much to look forward to but I’ll try to narrow it down! First, I’m excited to meet so many readers. I’m also really excited to meet other authors. There are some featured authors attending that I might go a little fan girl over. (Ahem, Jeaniene Frost should probably hide from me, lol). I’m also hosting a party with Cynthia Eden, Manda Collins and Virna De Paul that I think will be a lot of fun!
Other than that, I love New Orleans (I only live about an hour and a half away) and just enjoy the city as a whole so the fact that the con is there is amazing.
Twimom: I am really looking forward to going to New Orleans – you’ll have to tell me the best places to visit!
I always like to ask authors about their reading habits… I see that Acheron is one of your favorite books. That book made me weep and shout for joy. (He’s mine, by the way!) Other than Kenyon’s paranormal series, what types of books do you enjoy reading? What was your favorite read in 2011?
Katie: Ahem, we’ll just see about that! *g* Just kidding…sort of. Acheron *swoon*. Love him. I can’t just pick one favorite book from 2011 but I can narrow it down to two. Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning. If you’ve read the series, omg, you’ll know why. That book was emotional and just freaking brilliant and the perfect close to the Fever books (though I’m stoked she’s decided to write more in the same world). The other book is Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh. Honestly, I wondered how she was going to redeem Dmitri after the douchey way he’s behaved in the Guild Hunter series and wow, did she ever. That was such an emotional story and I’ll admit, I totally teared up more than once.
Twimom: Ha! I love “douchey!” Blade was a good read. What upcoming 2012 releases are you most excited to read?
Katie: Angel’s Flight by Nalini Singh (it’s got Galen’s story in the anthology!), Once Burned, the first book in Jeaniene Frost’s new Night Prince series, and Iced by Karen Marie Moning.
Twimom: Katie, once again thank you so much for taking the time to tell my readers a little bit about yourself and your writing. It was wonderful chatting with you. I look forward to meeting you in NOLA!
Katie: Thank you so much for having me!
You can find Katie on line at
More on Alpha Instinct
Moon Shifter #1, Signet Eclipse, Feb. 7, 2012
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…
I am so sad I am going to miss all of you in New Orleans! Totally loved your interview with Katie 🙂 I really need to read those Nalini books!
Felicia: I am so going to miss you! and our “me time” at the bar with a bottle of wine! Hehe. And yes – must read Guild Hunters. It’s a good series!
Loved the interview! I’ll have to check out some of those author’s series. I’ve been meanin too, but there are just so many good books out. 🙂
Hi Felicia! I held off for a long time in reading Nalini Singh b/c I wasn’t sure about the whole angels thing (my friend Chudney is laughing at me right now b/c she told me forever to read Singh!) but once I started, OMG, you can’t just read one of her books. They’re fantastic 🙂
Hi, Jen! Thanks for having me here today…And what’s this you’re saying about a bottle of wine? I like that you didn’t say glass, lol 🙂
Hi Tina B! Thanks for stopping by today. If you try the Fever series, I recommend clearing out your schedule, lol. I’m glad I waited until they were all out b/c I got to read them all at once 🙂
I’m bummed that I won’t be at AAD this year. It was just too far for me and it’s the same time as the family vacation. Maybe I can convince the DH to move the vacation to a different time for the next one. 🙂