Hi and welcome to my blog, Leona Bushman. Please make yourself at home and grab a drink from my hunky cabana boys, Zeke and Jake. So tell us a little about yourself.
Wait up. I’m still trying to grab your hunky cabana boys… er, for the drinks I mean. I’m a little crazy, and a lot mother. Or is it I’m a little mother and a lot crazy? 
Either way, I have 5 children, I love to read, swim, paint, write, craft, garden, hike, camp… I just love to keep busy. I hate housework. Loath housework, in fact. Would rather weed in 100 degree weather than do a load of laundry. I’m a cancer survivor and one of my children has Down Syndrome.
So tell us a little about your latest book. What inspired this masterpiece?
I love werewolves. Nolan had been sitting on my mind, impatiently waiting to be written, when I saw a call out for werewolves. stories I mean. 
The MS I’d been working on came to a screeching halt and Nolan told his story. At least, a short abbreviated version so I could get back to my MS. But then, my editor had to go and say, hey, I want more info—what about this and this and—and I gave her it.
If you had any super powers, what would they be and why?
I would have Mary Poppins super powers. Practically Perfect in every way. A voice like a goddess, things put themselves away at the drop of a hat or snap of the fingers as the case may be, and able to help families come together. Oh, of course, as I’m practically perfect, I’d be able to make a time machine until I found MY doctor!
What genre haven’t you tried yet but want to in the future? Historical Fiction. True historical fiction. Could be paranormal with ghosts and gothic-ness, but no vampires, werewolves, etc. Well, okay. Would have something. Trying my hand at a historical vampire short at the moment. Seriously, rough draft. That’s it. I *think* I’ve tried my hand at all other adult genres. No interest in writing YA, even though I enjoyed Harry Potter.
What is one thing readers might be surprised to know about you?
Surprised? That’s a good question. I blog regularly. Sometimes regularly. Okay, I blog whenever my life allows me to. I’m pretty upfront on it. I try to keep the more negative aspects to a minimum only because I believe in trying to spread positives.
I think, it would have to be that my favorite craft is cross-stitching. I absolutely love it, yet don’t do it at all anymore. I’ve made two heirloom Christmas Stockings. I need to make three more, but I’m so picky and with little ones getting into stuff, it’s hard to concentrate.
If we asked your muse to describe you in three words, what do you think they might say?
Hmmm, which muse is sitting on my shoulder today? LOL I think whether it’s evil muse of good muse, they’d agree on stubborn, creative, & loving.
What authors can be found in your library of books?
Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Linda Lael Miller, Margaret Moore, (Met and visited with Linda, and she’s the one who gave me great writing advice.) Christine Feehan, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Linda K Hamilton, Stephen King, RA Salvatore, Kay Hooper, Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Jane Anne Krentz, et al, JD Robb, JA Jance, Jeffrey Deaver, Maggie Shayne, Alicia Rasley, Diane Mott Davidson, Ngaio Marsh, Anne Perry, etc, etc, etc. I seriously have given away enough books, that if I’d kept them all, I’d have a library, including reference books. The authors named here are just the ones I KNOW, off the top of my head, that I still have more than one book in my personal library. So many books. And since becoming a writer, I’ve discovered so many new authors, I can’t keep up. I love to read. It was my big escape. I started with CS Lewis and Agatha Christie at ten and eleven and never looked back.
Have any guilty pleasures you want to share with us?
I guess, since my husband of 13 years this month finally found out, I can share one. Maybe this should have gone under the surprise section. But I love fashion. I love beautiful clothes, fabrics, beading. And Project Runway, yeah. That would be at the top of my guilty pleasure list. I make costumes for our local community theatre and that’s the closest I come to indulging that passion. If you looked at my wardrobe, you wouldn’t know I love it so much. One day, I hope to indulge.
Is there anything you’re currently working on that you can give us a taste of?
*Rubs hands together in wicked glee.* Maybe…Okay. You talked me into it. *grins*
This is an excerpt from the next novel in the series. There will be other shorts, one in August, but this is the next planned full-length one. It’s tentatively called The Midwife’s Moon.
Tonight was the third night. The next full moon, three days from now, she would be a werewolf. Excitement flooded her, causing her heartbeat to race as scattered leaves on the ground in the breeze. He would be with her, welcoming her into her new life.
She stood, unashamed of her nakedness. Her petite womanly form silhouetted against the moon, hiding her face in planes of harsh darkness. He turned to her, the cold moonlight awash on his features. In an instant, his soul opened to hers and what she saw was an empty hallow. Shallow feeling in his eyes, lust for her form, none for her inner soul.
That moment, that realization, that was when her bubble burst and a dam of icicles slammed through her body. She stood there and posed in all her glorious nakedness—one last look for her deceitful lover. A sad smile flitted across her face as the last vestige of her innocence washed away from her. Her heart became incased in the icicles, frozen, and guarded by shards.
What is your favorite way to relax after a hard day working and writing?
Watching movies/tv shows, particularly Doctor Who and Supernatural with my boys, or painting J
What is one historical figure you would love to chat with and why?
Oooh. Good question. I love history (kind of makes me wonder why I haven’t tried my hand at it before?) and so many people appeal to me. I think I’d like to know what really was up with King Henry the VIII. He seemed so alternately brilliant and a completely selfish wastrel with no thought of the future. His impact on the nation of England, from the changing of religion to his influence on the parliament, and the absolute way he ruled, fascinates me.
Would you care to mention any upcoming or WIP projects that readers can look forward from you in the future?
As I mentioned, The Midwife’s Moon is the next full length, but I have a short story in Ravaged, which is due out August 3rd, and another short I’m trying to finish up that are in The War of the Weres series. The shorts help introduce and give you the stories of some of the secondary characters. The full-length novels are the meat and bones of the series. But the shorts are fun to write and give you the insights to how everything’s building up.
Out of all your books, do you have a favorite one? If not, then which one is closest to your heart?
Usually, whichever one I’m working on is my favorite, lol. But in this case, Alex, the heroine for The Ulfric’s Mate, really grew as the book did and she has become a favorite character of mine. Her grace, her compassion, and her toughness make me wish I could be more like her. Her family life is less than stellar, but she doesn’t use it as an excuse to behave badly and she does more than survive under less than ideal circumstances.
Thanks for coming. Is there anything else you want to add?
Thank you so much for having me! had fun answering your questions and having…drinks with your cabana hunks! I’d like to give an excerpt as well as the blurb and link
Blurb:
Nolan and Alexandria fight their sexual attraction, but can’t deny the pull of being mates, despite a serial murder investigation.
Nolan Littlebull is the alpha of the Wahpawhat pack of Werewolves and the lead detective on a series of murders of pregnant women from his pack. Torn between human justice and were justice, he travels deep onto the Yakama Reservation tracking the ones responsible. He is attacked by one of the rival pack, only to be defended by another from the rival pack.
Alexandria George is the healer for the Lupins. She defends the mysterious wolf in their territory from her pack’s bully and escapes with the stranger.
Nolan and Alex face the complications of being mated and together they must find and identify the killer while facing an uncertain future.
Buy at http://www.breathlesspress.com/ulfrics-mate
And the adult excerpt:
The water sluicing down her back felt erotic knowing he would see her soon. The shower curtain pulled to the side, she could hear but not see as her eyes still had shampoo in them. She gasped when she felt his hands on her puckered nipples. He kissed her open mouth and took one hand to pull her close against his rapidly dampening skin.
The water cleared her eyes and hair of shampoo, but she kept her hands up in her hair, which pushed her chest more fully into his hand. His hand slid down from her nipple to her navel then around to her ass. He pulled her into him as close as he could, his dick pushing against her stomach. She wanted to climb into him, be a part of him; she wanted him inside of her.
One leg lifted to his hip, and he grabbed it and lifted her up. He was bearing most of her weight. She reached up and grabbed the top of the shower curtain rod and flexed her arm to help hold her up on the slick surface.
He dropped his lips from her mouth to her neck, suckling along the nerve there, drawing a straight line of lighting from his mouth to her clit. She would swear he touched her with his mouth on the inside of her, all the way down. She pulled on the arm supporting her weight trying to rub even closer to him. His lips moved lower, and she held her breath in anticipation. Yes! She wanted his mouth on her nipples. Licking and sucking.
Crash!
) so it’s been exciting knowing I’ve got a Christmas story coming out.
