Guest Blogger Mel Tescho

Our guest today is Mel Tescho, who celebrates her debut release from Ellora's Cave this week. Welcome Mel!


How did you celebrate your first release?
Stone-Cold Lover is my first release which just happened to coincide with the RWAus conference in Brisbane. Stupidly enough I woke up with a raging hangover from the cocktail party the night before, so it wasn't exactly the way I anticipated feeling on release day!

Most authors are also avid readers. Is this the case with you? If so, who are some of your favorites? Have any influenced your writing?
Before I started writing I was most definately an avid reader. As a young child it wouldn't have been uncommon for me to be reading late at night and into the early hours of the morning under my blankets via torchlight. I think lots of readers fall into writing and then find they don't have anywhere near the time to read. For me, I love both reading and writing, but I think the latter fills more of a void. My favourite books would be paranormal so some of my fav authors would be Kelley Armstrong and JR Ward. An Aussie author I've started reading quite a bit of is Keri Arthur, and many up and coming authors who also happen to be good friends: Tracey O'hara and her Dark Bretheren novels with book one Night's Cold Kiss, Erica Hayes and her Shadowfae chronicles. If you enjoy shorter novels and dragons, Anna Hacket's Savage Dragon is a great read. As for category you can't go wrong with Robyn Grady, Rachel Bailey, Amy Andrews, Sharon Archer, Helen Bianchin... too many to list!! I don't know that any one author has influenced my writing, think it's more a case of life experiences and a dash of my own voice to make it unique.

Do you find it difficult at times to write love scenes?
I imagined I was quite good at love scenes until I was picked up by Ellora's Cave and I realised just how wrong I'd been! But I think it's the same as anything, you have to practise practise practise but always feel comfortable within yourself and what you're doing.

What are you reading now?
I'm reading Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur and Needful Things by Stephen King.

Tell us a bit about your new release.
Stone-Cold Lover is about a heiress who appears to have it all - except Cray, her gargoyle guardian. One night stands no longer hold any appeal, she wants him and will do just about anything she can to get him.

Which book was the hardest to write and which the easiest?
I'd have to say my very first book, which will never see the light of day (a category btw) was by far the easiest book to write. With no idea about deep pov, show not tell, head hopping and all the other rules, I simply wrote the way I wanted to, without any rules to hold me back. By far the hardest is a single title I'm co-writing with Kylie called Believe. It has doctors, drugs, pyschics and more, and involves lots of research for credibility.

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Stone-Cold Lover By Mel Teshco available at Ellora's Cave
Heiress Loretta Shaw is notorious for her loose morals and sexual needs. Trouble is, it's taken her one too many one-night stands to realize that no man can extinguish the sexual fire she feels toward her guardian, Cray Diamond.

A long-ago curse made Cray immortal—a gargoyle, a guardian, who is impelled to protect a human chosen by the curse. He is imprisoned in stone during daylight hours but dusk returns him to flesh and bone to carry out his immortal duty.

That Cray can shift between human and living gargoyle at night bothers Loretta not one bit. She's seen him naked many times and her desire for him—in any shape or form—knows no bounds. She's tired of his resistance. He's her gargoyle…and she wants him in her bed.

For more about Mel visit her at http://melteshco.blogspot.com