Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Michelle Osgood author of The Better to Kiss You With.
Hi Michelle thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.
Hi, thanks for having me! I’m a writer who lives in Vancouver, BC, with my partner Elizabeth and our two black cats. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and have been fascinated with storytelling for as long as I can remember. The Better to Kiss You With is a paranormal romance about Deanna, the moderator of an online werewolf role playing game, who falls for the mysterious woman living above her.
Do you have any strange writing habits?
I do a lot of writing at home, just because it’s convenient, but actually my favourite place to write is at a bar! I like the noise and the bustle of people, plus, the servers bring you wine and food when you ask! It’s not something I do that often though, because the effort of hauling my laptop, and notebooks, and assorted other writing tools is usually enough to dissuade me.
Just as your books will inspire others, what books have inspired you?
Oh boy so many. I have three full shelves on my bookcase in my room of my all time favourite books, and five more full-sized book cases in the rest of my house. I really, really love books. I think the most inspiring have probably been the Harry Potter series, so many Nora Roberts books, the Tudor series by Phillipa Gregory, the Herald Mage series by Mercedes Lackey, the Kushiel books by Jaquline Carey, and a lot of Laurell K Hamilton’s older stuff.
I was lucky that as a young girl I was exposed to a lot of books by female authors, with a focus on female characters, and that really allowed me to feel like women’s stories were important.
What do you consider to be your best accomplishment (writing or life)?
My family! My partner Elizabeth and I have a fairly unconventional relationship, and it was about a dozen years in the making. We are very real partners in each others lives, and the family we are building together is deliberate and constantly re-negotiated. We don’t follow a lot of normative scripts, so we spend a lot of time communicating on how to make it work. We have so much respect for each other, and it’s really allowed us to build something that I’m so proud of.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Tucked away in my super cute home office working on my tenth book while Elizabeth and our adorable kid cook me a delicious dinner! We don’t have a kid yet, but ten years seems like enough time to find one, don’t you think? Also a dog. And I assume the cats will still be hanging around.
If you had a super power, what would it be?
I’d love to be able to shape shift. That’s always seemed like the most convenient and fun power to have—probably why I like writing about werewolves!
Author Name: Michelle Osgood
Book Name: The Better To Kiss You With
Release Date: April 21, 2016
Publisher: Interlude Press
Cover Artist: Monika Gross
Pages 182 pages
Categories: Contemporary, Lesbian Romance, Paranormal
Deanna, the moderator for Wolf’s Run, an online werewolf role-playing game, wanders the local forest with her dog Arthur and daydreams about Jaime, the attractive, enigmatic woman who lives upstairs. When threats from an antagonistic player escalate, Deanna wonders if her job could be riskier than she’d ever imagined—and if her new girlfriend knows more about this community than she had realized.
A little more Better to Kiss You With
“I think I know blood when I see it,” Deanna pointed out. “It was definitely blood.”
Beside her on the floor, Nathan leaned his head back against the couch and, behind the black frames of his glasses, rolled his bright blue eyes. “I’m not saying it wasn’t blood. But just, like, blood happens.”
“‘Blood happens.’ You sound like a tampon commercial.”
“Not true.” Nathan snickered over the top of his glass. “They never use the word ‘blood.’”
Deanna choked on a mouthful of wine.
“Anyway,” Nathan continued, “it was probably just a dead animal. Dogs love that stuff.”
“He wasn’t happy, though. He was scared. Something scared him. And Arthur’s brave. He doesn’t scare easily.” Deanna wiped the Pinot Gris from her chin and they both leaned forward to look at Arthur, who was sprawled artlessly on top of his dog bed and snoring loudly. Deanna smothered a giggle with the back of her hand and grabbed the bottle of wine.
“Just don’t confuse fantasy with reality. I think your job is messing you up.”
Deanna snorted. “Wolf’s Run is a just game, Nathan. I haven’t forgotten that.”
“Really? Because you’re talking about mysterious bodies torn up in the woods, and if that doesn’t sound like werewolves…”
Deanna gave Nathan a shove. “Ha, ha, very funny. I’m not like that weirdo who thinks that werewolves actually exist. It’s role-playing. Playing being the key word.”
For the most part, the players of Wolf’s Run were a good crowd—with the exception of one user who seemed to think that he actually was a werewolf. Apparently, he took offense to the game’s depictions of “his species,” considering them inaccurate and insulting. The rants had been going on for months, and the situation would have been laughable, except that in the last few weeks his posts had taken on a more threatening tone. Every time Deanna deleted his posts and blocked his username he simply created another account. The Wolf’s Run team didn’t want to block his IP address because IP addresses could be shared by a large number of people, and doing so might block legitimate players from the game. Besides, it was child’s play to circumvent a block by logging in from a third-party app or web service, or just logging in from a different location. Deanna could only shut him down and hope that this time he finally gave up.
“Well, then just accept that Arthur found a bunny rabbit or something and decided it would be a good idea to roll around in its mangled corpse.”
Deanna shook her head. “You didn’t see him. It was a lot of blood.” It had taken two desperately unpleasant baths and an entire bottle of shampoo to get Arthur clean. Deanna had had to scrub her bathtub three times before she’d felt comfortable using it again.
Nathan grabbed her hand with his long, thin fingers. “Listen, you’re my best friend, and I love you, and I’m sure that it was really terrifying, but I’m also one hundred percent sure that you are blowing this way out of proportion. No more fantasy werewolf role playing nonsense for you.”
“Until my shift starts in…” Deanna tapped the screen of her phone. “Ten hours.”
“Until then,” Nathan agreed and clinked their glasses. “Now, tell me more about your hot neighbor.”
Deanna buried her head in her hands and groaned. “It’s awful. She’s gorgeous. And I can’t think around her. Or speak. I turn into a spluttering sixth grader with her first crush.”
“That’s disgusting and adorable. Tell me more. What’s her name?”
You can get a copy:
Interlude: http://store.interludepress.com/collections/the-better-to-kiss-you-with-pre-order-bundle-1
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1U2ulv3
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-better-to-kiss-you-with-christine-osgood/1122958914?ean=9781941530740
Apple iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-better-to-kiss-you-with/id1059532443?mt=11
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thebettertokissyouwith-2016083-182.html?referrer=55feb862851f8
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/593334
Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Better-to-Kiss-You-with/9781941530740?a_aid=interludepress
Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781941530740?aff=interludepress
MY REVIEW
5 Meows 4 purrs fairly explicit
Better To Kiss You with is a fun story bringing the world of gaming and reality into real life for Deanna, a moderator of a Role-playing game called Wolf’s Run. She finds herself stalked by an irate rogue werewolf and a new girlfriend with a secret.
I loved this story. It is unique. There are intriguing characters, some mystery, romance and a touch of humor. Everything I look for in a love story.
I am not a gamer, but I found the storyline easy to follow and fascinating. I loved both Jamie and Deanna and also Deanna’s best friend, Nathan. He added the color and humor to the story. And I cannot forget Arthur. Who doesn’t like a cute, furry friend?
If you like F/F romance, Dogs, Roleplay gaming, A sweet, sexy romance, and werewolves, this is for you!
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Meet Michelle:
Michelle Osgood lives in Vancouver, BC, with her partner Elizabeth and their two cats. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and has been reading, writing and blogging in online communities for five years. She likes to read romance novels, speculative fiction and feminist pop culture critique.
You can stalk—oops—follow Michelle:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/osgoodmichelle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OsgoodMichelle
Homepage: www.michelleosgood.com
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28490267-the-better-to-kiss-you-with
Enter to win Grand Prize: $25 Interlude Press gift card. 5 first prizes of e-copies of The Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood.
For more Tour Dates & Stops:
21-Apr: BFD Book Blog, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Hearts on Fire, Bayou Book Junkie
22-Apr: My Fiction Nook, Kirsty Loves Books, Inked Rainbow Reads, Happily Ever Chapter
25-Apr: Oh My Shelves, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Louise Lyons, A.M. Leibowitz
26-Apr: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Havan Fellows, Open Skye Book Reviews
27-Apr: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews, Butterfly-O-Meter, Prism Book Alliance
28-Apr: Nephy Hart, QUEERcentric Books, Emotion In Motion, Unquietly Me
29-Apr: Chris McHart, Velvet Panic, Book Reviews and More by Kathy
2-May: Charley Descoteaux, Love Bytes, Bonkers About Books
3-May: Alpha Book Club, Cathy Brockman Romances, Rednecks and Romance, MM Good Book Reviews
4-May: Dawn’s Reading Nook, Divine Magazine, Molly Lolly
Do you have a favortie video game? Do you like reading about werewolves? I do!
2 responses to “Cat’s Meow~~On Tour~~Better to Kiss You With by Michelle Osgood #growl”
Thank you for having me, and for the review! I love the purrs 😉
Thank you. I absolutely loved the book.