Please Welcome Rebecca Zanetti

As you know, this month, we’re interviewing published authors. Today I’m interviewing Kensington author, Rebecca Zanetti. Welcome to Word Wranglers, Rebecca.


Tell us about you and your books.

Hi Shawn! Thank you so much for having me here today. I live in the Pacific Northwest, where it’s still snowing. It shouldn’t be snowing, but it is. So I’m inside writing a lot. The Dark Protector series is a paranormal series featuring sexy vampires, dangerous witches and deadly shifters.

If you couldn’t write anymore, what would you be doing?

That is such a great question. I’m a lawyer and I also teach at our local community college. So if I couldn’t write any more, I’d probably do one of those two things. Or maybe go back to school and learn about genetics. Or philosophy.

I’ve become fascinated with people’s guilty pleasures. Besides reading and writing what’s yours? I’m a girly girl and I absolutely love a spa day. Wearing the thick robe, having a massage and a facial…and a healthy lunch with a glass of wine is ideal. I also have a fondness for shoes, and one of my sisters is the queen of shopping, so…


Besides writing, what do you do for fun?
My husband is the outdoorsy type, so in the summer we play at the lake and in the winter we play on the mountain with snowmobiles. Our kids are really involved in sports, so we spend a lot of time at practices and games.


If the world were to end next week, what would be the one thing you would have to do?

I think the whole family would congregate at my parents’ house and wait it out. There really isn’t one thing I’d want to do…just make sure the last moments were spent with my family.

I notice the heroine in your book, Fated, believes in science. What about you? Science or fate?
Ohhhh – great question. How about both? I think science and fate can go hand in hand. You can’t look at the intricacy of the human body, of how the brain works, and not believe in a higher power.


Is there anything you absolutely can’t do without when you’re writing?
Yes, and I know it’s dorky, but I need my thick, comfy socks on when writing. Even in the summer. And it doesn’t matter if they match each other or not. In fact, they usually don’t.

Is there anything you dislike about being a published author?

I wouldn’t say I dislike anything, but it’s really hard to tell people no. I’d like to read all the stories people have asked to send me for advice, but I don’t have the time. Between deadlines, my family and my normal job, I’m tapped out.


Tell us about the book featured here today.
Like any romance, FATED is about two people falling in love and figuring out a way to stay together. It just so happens that one is a vampire and the other a single mother trying to protect her daughter from a multitude of dangerous destinies. Throw in a virus created to specifically harm the vampires, a whole lot of steamy sex and genuine emotion, and I think you have a fast paced, breathtaking read.

Authors usually tell new writers to just write. Is there any advice you'd like to add to that?

Write for yourself first. In fact, fool yourself if you have to. Just sit down and write the story you want to read…no matter how far out there, no matter how sexy or sweet, no matter how odd. Pretend it’s just for you and nobody else will ever read it.

When you’re finished, you’ll be surprised by how many other people do want to read it. 

Is there a question you'd like to answer that I have not asked?
I get a lot of emails asking if each Kayrs brother will get their own book. The answer is yes. So far, CLAIMED is about Dage and Emma and will be released on November 1st. HUNTED is about Conn and Moira and will be released in spring/summer of 2012. The rest don’t have names yet.

How can we reach you? You can reach me through my website: http://rebeccazanetti.com/

Is there an excerpt you’d like to share with us?
Sure! I have two excerpts on my website, so here’s a third that isn’t up:
Slowly, Talen pushed to his feet and strolled across the conference room.
Cara took a step back, her breath hitching.
Smiling, he leaned against the closed door.
She’d need to go through him to get out. God, he was huge. Even if she had known how to fight, she doubted she’d stand a chance when faced with such size and obvious strength. A feminine fear and a flutter she refused to identify whispered through her, and her spine straightened with a sharp snap.
“I won’t hurt you.” His voice lowered, deepening to a tone that increased her flutter. He relaxed his stance against the door, his muscled arms crossing. “I won’t let anyone harm either of you. Ever.”
Okay. Fine. He was too big for her to fight, but she did have a brain. “Listen, Talen,” she kept her voice soft, soothing. “It’s great your dating pool just opened up and all, but I’m not looking for—”
A dimple winked in his cheek, stopping her words. She fought to keep her tone mild. “Am I amusing you?” Her chin lifted.
“Yes.”
“Why?” She could even feel his amusement in the air, damn it.
“Your people. I’ve never understood why you ignore fate. She has her own plans.”
“Fate?” He was throwing destiny at her? Come on.
He nodded. “Fate.”
“Wow. That’s poetic, Talen.” Sarcasm replaced the softness. “But there’s no way fate is involved here.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Prove it.”
“Okay.” He lifted his right hand, palm out. A crest, an intricate one, spread across his calloused skin. Thick and black, a webbing of arcs together formed a knot with what might be an elaborate ‘K’ in the middle.
“A tattoo?” She quirked an eyebrow, wondered if he had other tats on that magnificent body.
“No. A brand of sorts. It appeared earlier after I took your arm.”
“A brand?” She snorted. “Bullshit.”
Talen shrugged. “It’s true, Cara. The Mark usually doesn’t appear until the mating act, but there are exceptions.” Golden eyes pinned her. “Our bond must be strong.”
“No.”
Talen lifted a shoulder.
Her mind rebelled at the physical evidence before her eyes. “I said, no. I choose to ignore your fate.” How could the mark have appeared? Conviction sat easily upon his face and her stomach rolled at the question of how far he’d go to follow his fate.
“That is your choice,” he agreed.
“Damn straight.” She searched his face for a trick, determination tightening her own jaw. A raised eyebrow met her glare. “But you don’t know anything about me. I could be married.”
“You’re not.”
“How do you know?”
He shrugged. “My brother Dage shot your file to my blackberry.”
Blackberry? Vampires used blackberry’s? Come on. “Where were you?” Damn her curiosity.
“In a meeting with my other brother, Conn.”
Geez. Sounded like a family oriented creature of the night. Or day. Or whatever. She tried another tack. “Besides, I have a date tonight.”
She wasn’t sure what her goal was, but she didn’t reach it. A genuine smile played across his lips, and he uncrossed his arms. “You’re not going to make it.”