Authors find inspiration in humor, Temperance on 'Bones' and Harry Potter

Today's featured authors: Sandra Hill, author of Vampire in Paradise; Shannyn Schroeder, author of Her Winning Formula; and Maggie Mae Gallagher, author of Ruptured. They're sharing their inspirations for their newest releases.

Sandra Hill, author of Vampire in Paradise

Three things that inspired my Deadly Angels series and its most recent book, Vampire in Paradise.

• Humor, particularly situational humor, as in putting a character outside his or her comfort zone. It's a given that all of my books, whether historical, contemporary, time-travel or vampire angel, be funny romances, but I wanted my seven Viking brothers, each guilty of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, to be placed in a setting contrary to their faults. For example, pride landed a Viking in a rundown castle filled with bats. Sloth or laziness landed another Viking in Navy SEAL training. In Vampire in Paradise, Dr. Sigurd Sigurdsson, a prominent, full-of-himself physician albeit vampire angel, is sent to a tropical island where a sleazy porno convention is being held, a step way down from Johns Hopkins.

• Poignancy. A wise editor once told me that in the best of books, a writer makes the reader laugh and cry. I guarantee that you will at least water up over Izzie, my heroine's dying child, looking for a miracle.

• Religion. Now, don't get excited. I don't write religious books, or proselytize, or anything like that, but I wanted my vampires to have a connection with God, or some heavenly presence, like St. Michael the Archangel, because I see a parallel between all the religions and cultures, even the seemingly pagan Vikings. Besides, I like the idea of a God with a sense of humor.

Put all these together and you have a physician vangel knocked down a peg or two in his new medical assignment from above, a woman (who resembles a young Sophia Loren) who is desperate for money to save her daughter's life, and an archangel who is sick to death of Vikings. Humor, and hopefully tears, guaranteed!

Here's the blurb about Vampire in Paradise:

It's been centuries since the Norseman Sigurd Sigurdsson was turned into a Vangel—a Viking Vampire Angel—as punishment for his sin of envy, but he's still getting the hang of having fangs that get in the way when seducing women. Slaying demon vampires known as Lucipires and using his healing gifts as a cancer research doctor, Sigurd is sent to Florida's Grand Keys Island as a resident physician . . . where he encounters a sinfully beautiful woman.

The only hope Marisa Lopez has of curing her five-year-old daughter is a pricey experimental procedure. When she meets the good-looking doctor, Marisa is speechless. Then Sigurd tells her he believes he can help her daughter. Could this too-hot-to-resist Viking doctor be an angel of some sort sent to bring a miracle for her daughter? Or is he just a vampire bent on breaking Marisa's heart?

Find out more at www.sandrahill.net.

Shannyn Schroeder, author of Her Winning Formula

As a writer, I get inspiration from everywhere, but when I sat down to write the Hot & Nerdy trilogy, I first chose what kind of nerds my heroines would be. Felicity is the last heroine to get her story. She's a science nerd. Here's what inspired the story:

• Felicity is loosely based on the character Temperance Brennan, the title character from the TV show Bones. Bones is a genius science nerd who is not good at social interaction. She doesn't fully understand relationships and emotions, especially in the early seasons of the show. She's all about observing and deducing — she never follows her gut.

• I thought about "What if…" What if a socially inept nerd made it to her spring break destination, but her friends didn't? What would she do? Felicity's nervousness over being alone and not knowing what to do was easy to write because in many ways, I suffer from those same social deficiencies. However, I needed her to break out from what she'd normally do (I'd probably hide in my hotel room all week).

• Lastly, I needed a hero who would help Felicity. Who's better at helping people than a teacher? Lucas Tanner is a special-ed teacher, so he's used to seeing kids struggle with fitting in. He's a fixer who innately knows what people need and how to read them. I love a good opposites-attract story.

Here's the blurb about Her Winning Formula:

Spring break was supposed to be a last blast of fun for three friends before the reality of adulthood set in. But for the trio's science whiz, it's an education in instant attraction…

Chemistry major Felicity Stone can tell you everything about the way chemicals interact, but when it comes to social interaction, she needs schooling. Abandoned by her friends, Felicity is faced with spending spring break alone—unless she accepts a gorgeous stranger's invitation to pose as his girlfriend at a family wedding. Not one to turn down a research opportunity, Felicity never expected it to produce such breathtaking results…

Teacher and baseball coach Lucas Tanner is fascinated by Felicity's potent mix of spirit and scientist, not to mention her delicious curves. When Felicity asks him to return the favor by teaching her how to pick up guys, he can't refuse—but he's not at all happy with the idea of her using a formula for flirting on anyone but him. Can he convince her that together they have the perfect chemistry?

Find out more at www.shannynschroeder.com.

Maggie Mae Gallagher, author of Ruptured

Three of my favorite movies:

Hi, Joyce! Thank you for having me on Happy Ever After!

Let me just say, I love movies. I have a movie collection that rivals Netflix. When a movie is done right, just like in a book, it sweeps the viewer to new lands, new ideas and ways of thinking, and allows you to experience dangerous situations from the comfort of your home. My top three favorite movies are (and I'm going to cheat a little bit here):

• The Peter Jackson Sextet of Middle Earth (The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies). I love it so much, I am attending the marathon for the final film. That's 12 hours of movie watching in the theater.

• The Harry Potter films. I still remember tearing up at the last film because it was the final one. It was such an extraordinary film journey watching all the actors grow up on-screen and such a beautifully told story.

• The Marvel Studios movies. I have each and every one of these films in my calendar for the foreseeable future. The Avengers: Age of Ultron is not even released yet, and I can already tell from the trailer, I will love it.

What are some of your favorite movies?

Here's the blurb about Ruptured:

It has been eighty-three years since the walls between Earth and Infernus fell, and now our world stands upon the razor's edge of extinction. Demon platoons are marching upon us. My home, one of humanity's last bastions of existence, is under siege.

My name is Alana Devereaux. I am the resident demon detector of Cantati Forces and Platoon Commander. My job is to hunt down the vermin unleashed upon my world, and I love it. I live for the day I can kick every last demon's ass out of this world. Except as enemy forces reign down terror upon us, the Densare Council sentences me to a fate worse than death.

Find out more at www.maggiemaegallagher.com.