From time to time, I “discover” new authors that I just have to share with others. Regan is one such wordsmith, and I’m pleased to provide a stop on her Blog Tour this month.

Hi Regan! I’m so glad to be visiting with you today.

Thank you, Pam, and thanks for the guest spot. I am delighted to be here.

Here are some questions our readers want to ask:

Your fabulous debut novel, WHISPER CAPE, is a romantic fantasy adventure that comes across so believable, it seems like reality. What real-life experiences, if any, inspired some of the scenes?

You’re kind, thank you. As you stated so well above, the story is pure fantasy—well paranormal fantasy. The only thing I can think of that would even be remotely true to any of my life experiences would be the setting. The beach house that Cael rents, is forged from The Little River Inn in Mendocino, California where my husband and I spent one of our wedding anniversaries. It’s a little different, but I’ve tried to keep the view and the surrounding area as true to my memory as possible.

Not every reader comes away with the same response to a book, but WHISPER CAPE‘s fans seem to all agree on one aspect:  Cael is a to-die-for hero. Describe, if you can, how you created this luscious man and how your understanding of him evolved from the beginning.

Believe it or not, this is not a very easy question to answer. I would have to say that Cael is a combination of every good quality of every gorgeous man I’ve ever seen. He is my fantasy man. I’m a sucker for blue eyes. Green or even gray isn’t bad either. Heck, a beautiful man with dark dreamy eyes … I’ll take him. A rock hard body, with muscles in all the right places is a must. But I wanted a man with the opposite color of Addison’s and I gave her golden brown eyes. I wanted a man with a sensitive side, but someone with enough arrogance and strength that he could kick the crap out of any bad guy or demon as well. The fact that he can take a girl anywhere she might like to go at the blink of an eye is just a bonus.

Writing habits. Most readers and writers like to know how an author progresses through the writing of a great novel. In the case of CAPE, did the story come to you wholly formed, or did it sort of construct as you wrote? How long did it take to write, and what was your writing pattern like?

I wish I could tell you that I have great writing habits and that I do it all a certain way, but each story I write, I do it differently, depending on how I’m relating to the characters.  With Whisper Cape, I had no idea what the story would be like. I only knew I wanted to write a novel and I wanted it to be paranormal but different from anything I had ever read or heard about. Basically, I let Addie and Cael run the show.

Talk a little bit about the cover: there is special significance to the background photo?

The cover is actually a picture I took at The Little River Inn, I think I mentioned it above. When I saw the ghostly or angelic figure in the center form by the rocks, I knew I had to include that setting somewhere in the story.

One of the things I like best about WHISPER CAPE is Cael’s ability to teleport Addie around. To me, being embraced tightly to the man of my dreams while traveling through spacial dimensions is an exciting prospect. Authors have favorites, too, and I’d like to know yours. What scene(s) do you yourself swoon over in this book? (C’mon, we all do it…)

You make me laugh. Yes, we do. The idea of traveling somewhere at the blink of an eye has always intrigued me and I’ve always wished I could do it or knew someone who could. There are many scenes in this story that I loved writing. A particular one that comes to mind is the scene in the kitchen after Addie almost kills Cael. I wrote that scene right before dinner one night, and when I finished, I was so excited and pleased with it, I rushed upstairs and reenacted the entire scene in our kitchen for my husband. He stood there smirking at me the whole time. I felt rather silly afterwards. I liked writing the scene with Addie and Gerry when she is being a complete bitch outside on the back deck of the bar and he is trying really hard to understand why. Gerry is one of my favorite characters in this story and I am having a lot of fun with him in the sequel.

Whisper Cape was a very emotional story for me for some reason. There are a couple scenes that actually make me cry when I read them now. It’s silly, I know, but I get so emotional. One is the scene with Cael’s mother explaining everything to Addie and I have to admit some of the love scenes shock even me with the amount of emotion I poured into them.

During the editing phase of WHISPER CAPE, a scene concerning a child’s prophetic vision (of the main characters in an intimate setting) came to be questioned. If a book is obviously aimed at adult readers, should the author consider whether such a scene may be offensive, or stick with their inclusion for the sake of story?

I think that is entirely up to the author. I don’t think any scene should ever be deleted if it changes the story. Breena is a very bright young lady and when I wrote Whisper Cape, I hadn’t taken her age into consideration. In fact, originally, she was much older, somewhere around fourteen. But the story took a different path and Breena had to be a bit younger. It didn’t really affect the story either way, so abiding with what my editor had suggested wasn’t a problem for me.

Butler as Gerry

WHISPER CAPE is a very satisfying read. At the end, one can’t help but wonder what’s up next for Cael and Addie, because of their unique powers and evolving relationship. Further, secondary characters such as Gerry and Maia have so much potential for a story. You know my next question, right?

I adore Gerry. I have said before that Gerard (Gerry) Butler, my all time favorite, is welcome to play Gerry in my story when they make it into a movie. Yes, there is another story in the works involving Maia and Gerry as well as all the other characters. There’s really not much I can say about it, except Maia is implicated in a nasty murder involving one of Gerry’s past lovers.

And your answer brings up another question. Although we see it a lot, one of my favorite questions to explore is… if your book was to be made into a movie, aside from the luscious Mr. Butler, whom would you cast in your starring roles?  [Note:  this interviewer already knows the answer for Cael, but I'd rather Regan share her selection!]

Dapper as Cael

If you don’t mind, I do believe I’m going to have a little fun with this question. I do have a couple of men in mind who could definitely play Cael. Here is a picture of Marco Dapper; and/or my other pick is Henry Cavill (Ed. Note:  YUM.)  HA!  It’s almost too hard to tell them apart. Yes, they both have brown eyes, but with contacts…

For Addie, I have to pick Ashley Greene I loved her in Twilight as Alice. She has a beautiful soft voice that goes so well with her personality, and she can act tough when she needs to. Of course, my husband disagrees with me and he would like to see Megan Fox. I have a couple picks for Maia. One could be January Jones if she dyes her hair and the other could be Kate Beckinsale. Both women have extraordinary talent and can play tough when they need to. You don’t see much of a tough side to Maia in Whisper Cape, but stay tuned.

Ashley as Addy?

After you’ve finished your next paranormal romance, are there other genres you’ve thought about dipping a toe into?

Funny you should ask. I am working on edits for a young adult novel called, Allusive Aftershock, a story of disaster, jealously, hate, and of course, love. I don’t think I could ever write a story without love.

Lovely Kate as Maia

Well, you’re probably exhausted from your tour, so I’ll leave you to pour a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest of us will just have to kick back and wait for your next awesome book! Thanks again for visiting me at Beacon Street Books! I know our readers have enjoyed this time with you, and I hope they will visit you at ReganWalsh.com!

Thank you so much, Pam. I loved your questions and enjoyed answering them.

What’s up next for Regan? Tomorrow her train pulls into author/blogger Angela Kay Austin’s terrific blog where Regan will be revealing WHY she writes romance! Click on over on Sunday for a visit! http://angelakayaustin.blogspot.com.

And thank you to our readers, for tuning in today! Please take time to check out my review of Regan’s dynamite premiere novel. Don’t forget to enter to win an “e” copy of WHISPER CAPE by Regan Walsh — contest will be open for all of President’s Day weekend — and if you don’t get lucky this time, you can click here and support this talented author yourself!

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TG's kitchen cabinet

While I wouldn’t exactly qualify for “Hoarders,” I do tend to collect stuff beyond what I should. Paperwork is a tough one for me. I keep papers for both practical and sentimental reasons. I still have my very first tax return from when I was like 18. Bank statements and credit card bills from decades ago. I’m sorry, it’s true.

So I’ve been doing a little purging myself. It’s slow-and-go, but I’m working through it. It hurts at first, throwing stuff away or bagging it up for charity. Yet I now recognize the joy, the feeling of lightness, of un-encumbered-ness, of not-really-missing-it-ism. I’m learning that the world won’t come to a standstill, throwing the population off its sides, if I let go of stuff.

I had to figure out what was standing in my way. I did identify some issues I had that were clogging up the process!  So, I’ve decided that:

• I don’t have to place a monetary value on things I get rid of, feeling the guilt of money I could have reaped if I’d taken time to eBay them;
• I don’t have to make a detailed list for my tax return;
• I don’t have to consider what the best charity for each item will be, running all over town to drop books at the library “friends,” the clothing for the thrift shop, the magazines for the seniors, etc. I can trust one fine non-profit or charity to make those decisions;
• I don’t have to keep every receipt; the likelihood of my needing to know what that lawnmower cost back in 1982 is pretty slim; don’t even get me started about warranties;
• I don’t have to save every birthday card, every crayon drawing, or twenty-two mini-wallet-sized school photos of my sons; one of each will do.

And that’s just a start. This week, I will tackle the under-sink cabinet in the guest bath, where now resides an old lava lamp, a nebulizer that belonged to my dad (who passed away 15 years ago), some near-empty bottles of liquid soap, a rarely used vaporizer I bought around 12 years ago (still in the box!) and Lord knows what else is down there. Putting on the rubber gloves and blinders…wish me luck!

Today I renewed my vow to raise a bunch of money for the American Cancer Society. I’m ready to hit the ground running! Team Check ‘Em Out is poised to break our record this year by building our team, trying new ways to fundraise, restaurant nights, dessert sales, percentage donations, and good old fashioned bowling-alley-panhandling! Hey, we’re not proud!

Well, actually, we are. We have a great team of dedicated, passionate and motivated members, each with a personal reason to fight this horrendous disease. Sadly, our Reasons to Relay still grow with each coming year, but we remain confident that our efforts will be rewarded someday.

Planning will soon begin for our SIXTH ANNUAL wine tasting,

POP A CORK FOR A CURE!

This awesome event will be held in early May, date TBD — but you can bet we’ll let you know. In the meantime, I’m humbly accepting donations at my Relay page. Donations of $100 or more will get you an autographed copy of my latest book–but I’d take just your Starbuck’s money for a couple of weeks, too!

Who’s with me?

Circle of Hope, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit breast cancer organization located in Santa Clarita Valley, California.  We are dedicated to making a difference today, for a brighter future tomorrow. Circle of Hope is the only breast cancer organization in the Santa Clarita Valley that provides financial, emotional, and educational support services for uninsured and underinsured individuals with breast cancer, their families, and the local community. We have helped over 130 clients to date, issuing over $100,000 in financial support.

I’m happy to be a part of the Circle of Hope family. I hope you will take advantage of this offer–and don’t worry, CAPE SEDUCTION is worth a read even without the donation!

Thank you for your support.

As they say in the market, it was rather “flat.” That being, some good, some bad, all balances out. Certainly business for Valdata Services declined as I saw three clients close their doors, one being my largest long-term customer. Sad, indeed, and I will miss these great people I interacted with on a daily basis. I wish them all much success (and stability) in the coming year.

Another downer was my inability to get any writing done; that is, if you don’t count the nineteen essays I wrote for school. After a negative experience with a neurotic and overtly rude correspondent, I lost some ambition which is finally beginning to return.

I probably gained 13 pounds this year, and my school obligations discouraged me from getting to the gym, which I subtly abandoned in August. (They actually called to see where I was!)

On the upside, school was great and I’m 9 units away from my degree. The tutoring job I took at the college was rewarding and enlightening. I met lots of wonderful people this year, writers, teachers, high school alumnus, cancer warriors, mountain dwellers, and a few brave souls still working in escrow. I moved to Android this year, and my 6 year old Highlander is still running like new. My brother survived a life-threatening illness. My sons are both working, my grandson is happy and healthy, my daughter is a beautiful, talented and resourceful teen, and my husband realized his dream of building a mountain home. I am incredibly blessed and thankful.

What for 2012?

I have plans, nothing earth-shattering. I need to get back to the Y. I’ll return to my tutoring job in the spring, along with taking 6 units. I’ll complete at least one novel—hopefully the third lighthouse mystery set in Los Angeles. I’m going to try to re-release a couple of my backlist novels soon. Will continue to work with both the SCV Education Foundation and the Circle of Hope*. I hope to do some public presentations similar to one I did on California lighthouses for the library this past January. Three more units in the fall will finish my degree in English.

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All silliness aside, I am thrilled to be a part of this 8th annual event benefiting breast cancer patients of the Santa Clarita Valley. The weather has been ordered up special, too.

Besides sponsoring a table (mine this year is “Snowy Night”), I am donating copies of my first lighthouse mystery, POINT SURRENDER, to all attendees. I’m happy to do it. And should any of my new 300+ fans wish to buy CAPE SEDUCTION, I’m passing along $3.00 from their purchase to Circle of Hope. In fact, I’ll make that deal to anyone who happens along here between now and year end. Just click HERE to take advantage of this special offer. (Sounding a little like a TV commercial!)

What does that mean, exactly? It’s the time of the year when we

• renew our commitment to detecting—and fighting—breast cancer;
• review the latest information on how to help ourselves stay cancer-free;
• remember those who are working through recovery, and those who lost their battle;
• support those who work hard to research, to heal and to help those affected by breast cancer.

Did you know that >one in 100 breast cancer patients are men?

Did you know that according to the American Cancer Society, the chance for a woman to be diagnosed with breast cancer is 1 in 8?

Did you know that weight control is one way to decrease your risk?

For more information, here are some helpful links:

American Cancer Society

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Circle of Hope

If just one reader acts on this message by scheduling a mammogram, remembering a friend in need or making a donation, my time in writing it will be well spent.

Many of us are struggling with lesser or no insurance benefits these days. Preventive medicine is usually the first thing to go when we have to pay for it ourselves. But ladies, your mammogram is not something you should cross off your list. Seriously. I know they can be expensive. But listen up, because here’s a deal you can’t afford to miss:

“All Providence medical centers now offer screening mammograms at the reduced price of $100. To schedule yours, call 1-888-HEALING” says the Fall, 2011 issue of Providence Health, A Guide to Healthy Living and Quality Care. For you local gals, these centers are located in Mission Hills, Burbank and Tarzana, California.

I wish I’d know about this. For even with my limited PPO insurance with Blue Shield, my copay was way more than $100.00.

Don’t put it off, or I might have to unfriend you.

Some of MURDER WE WROTE, 2010

I really love this event. Very casual, laid-back, beautiful park grounds setting. It was here, a couple of years back, where my author pals and I met the venerable Ray Bradbury! This year, we will be rubbing shoulders with the very popular, best-selling author of SHANGHAI GIRLS, Lisa See. I can’t wait.

Just as important, I’ll be meeting up with a fine group of mystery authors. Yes, MURDER WE WROTE is getting the band back together! Joel Fox, Jenny Hilborne, Gayle Carline, Jeff Sherratt and Teresa Burrell will be joining Alyssa Montgomery and I for some dark, devious planning that just might involve criminal intent. We might even sell a few books at the same time.

If you’re local (or loco) and looking for a really fun afternoon with some really fun people (REALLY fun, I mean it!!) then head on out to Westminster Gardens in Duarte on Saturday, October 8th, from 10 am to 5 pm. It’s free to get in, free to park, free to enjoy the fresh air. Yeah, the books cost money, but they are still one of the best entertainment values around (you can buy two of mine for the price of one night at the movies!)

More info can be found here. Come on down!