1. Describe yourself in three words. 

Dedicated, hardworking, and driven. 

2. Tell us a little bit about Death's Servant and why readers should check it out? 

I wrote this book for my existing readers, but it will appeal to new readers as well. It's a prequel book on one of their favorite characters and it explains the 'how' on his involvement with the ancient vampire who runs the V V Inn with her husband. The novella is a great set up for the series without giving anything away on the later stories. 

3. What inspired you to write the Prequel to the VV Inn Series? 

As an author, we're more aware of the complex, unwritten backgrounds that motivate and drive our characters than our readers are. I've always known why Jon served the married couple (even though it was apparent he would never be a part of their union), what made Rafe seek out Vivian, and what tragedies and triumphs shaped Dria/Vivian to be the ruthless killer she is today. Sharing those tales with my readers has always been in the back of my mind. To find out they wanted to read them felt like a dream come true. Now I just have to write them all! 

4. What was the easiest/hardest scene to write in "Death's Servant? (without giving too much away)

The scene where Jon is at his absolute lowest, carrying the woman he cares about in his arms. His emotions were so raw and painful, I worried I wouldn't be able to capture it well. 

5. If "Death's Servant" was made into a movie, who do you picture playing each characters part? 

LOL! I've always had certain actors in my mind to play the characters, but as the actors age I'm sure so will readers' expectations of whom they picture, too. I see Jensen Ackles as Jon, Daniel Craig as Rafe, and Angie Everhard as Dria/Vivian. 

6. How did you come up with the title of the book? 

Dria/Vivian has often thought of herself as death. Eventually, everyone she loves dies and she somehow feels she's to blame. Jon is her vampire servant, so it just seemed fitting. 

7. Do you ever suffer with writer's block and if you do, how do you deal with it? 

I sometimes have difficulty writing, but I'm not so sure I'd call it a block. I have health concerns and family obligations that often keep me from writing. I've never had a desire to write and sat down only to find there were no words. Life can suck the creative juices right out of us, but being a full time writer means you have to suck it up and push through the hard times. 

8. Fun Question: If a zombie apocalypse were to happen, what kind of weapon would be your primary choice to kill the zombies? 

Hmm… if we go with the assumption that a double tap to the head is enough to keep them down for good, then I'd want a reliable rifle with a huge magazine and lots of boxes of ammo. ;-) 

9. Fun Question: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you must have to survive? 

Since the question doesn't say stranded alone, I'd want my husband, an emergency kit with flares, knives, a gun, matches, and medical supplies inside, and a big tackle box filled with lots of gear to catch fish. The rest we'd figure out together ;-) 

10. What is up next for C.J. Ellisson? 

I've got the next book in my contemporary erotic romance series, A Walk on the Wild Side, coming out in June. Avoiding Mr. Right is Carla and Andy's story and I can hardly wait to share it with my readers! I hope they enjoy the couple's steamy adventures as much as Tony and Heather's from Vanilla on Top.
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1. Tell us 5 things readers may not know about you. 

-I can't touch type. (yes, that's true, please stop laughing ;-)
-I have such difficulty with spelling that I very rarely send a hand-written a card to someone.
-I never finished college.
-I have no formal training in writing, my majors in college were Art, Business (really boring) and then Chemistry (fascinating, but 8-10 hours in a lab all day would be equally boring).
-Before I became a writer I was going for my contractor's license. My first love was flipping homes with my husband.

2. How did you come up with the idea of "Vanilla on Top"? 

I have never read Fifty Shades of Grey, and never will, but I know a lot of readers who have. Listening to them describe the story disturbed me. The hero's behavior sounded very controlling, something I experienced first hand in a mentally and physically abusive relationship I left in my early twenties. It bothered me to think women would want to experiment with BDSM and read about it portrayed in fiction in what was essentially a mentally abusive relationship. I realize my opinion may be out of the norm regarding Fifty (so please don't send me hate mail), but I just can't bring myself to read about that kind of control no matter how many people tell me it's a love story.

I'm eternally grateful the series has brought so many readers to erotic fiction, even if it is not fiction I choose to read. But that got me thinking, what would I read regarding BDSM? Was I ready for the scary stuff with equipment and Dom/sub relationship details? Did I want to read about the power play and emotional angst and upheaval prevalent in such stories? I realized I wanted to read something lighter, something more real.

I created a story I could relate to -- one of two lovers exploring the boundaries of their sexuality and finding new things they never would have discovered with anyone else. True intimacy in a relationship usually comes with time. It is my belief that trying anything risqué or out of your comfort zone can only be done in a loving, monogamous relationship. And since I hadn't come across anything like VoT yet, it seemed like a great fit.

3. Tell our readers a little bit about Vanilla on Top and why they should check it out? 

Vanilla on Top is a love story with heart and emotional depth. The characters take risks with each other and with trying something new. The love they discover along the way surprises both of them. I think the publisher's short description says it best:

Determined to leave her wallflower tendencies at the door, Heather Pierce attends a speed dating event pretending to be someone new. Someone dominant. Little does she know, the larger than life man whose world she rocks is incognito himself, and he isn’t about to let the mysterious vixen slip through his grasp.

4. How many books are planned for the Wildside Series? 

Right now, I've got five planned. Three are contracted in Entangled's Brazen line with new couples in each one, and two will be the continuation of Heather and Tony's developing relationship.

5. What is up next for C.J. Ellisson? 

Professionally, I've got my next V V Inn inspired book coming out in March (no release date yet). It's a short novel based on Jon, the werewolf readers love, and how he came to be Vivian's servant. Before that book comes out I'll be at a terrific new reader event in St. Augustine Florida called Olde City, New Blood this February.

Personally, I'm still getting treatment for my various auto-immune diseases and following doctors orders to try and rid my body of multiple bacterial strains. Some days it feels like a never ending journey, but I know I'll be back to normal health one day.
Tony steps closer and sinks to the cobblestone terrace, reaching with two eager hands toward my hips. He buries his face in my crotch and breathes deeply. “You smell so good.” He rubs his cheek back and forth against my panties. “What do you want me to do?”

A shudder ripples through me as the breath of his whispered voice warms my skin through the thin lace. He wants me to tell him what to do. I can do this.

“Kiss me,” I rasp, my voice barely above a whisper.

His soft lips press against the thin garment as the heat from his flesh teases me higher. My every sense feels on high alert during this encounter. I’ve never done anything so daring in my entire life. The next kiss presses harder and little shocks of arousal dart through my core.

“That’s nice,” I say, resisting the primal urge to grind myself into his face. “But I need more.”

I glance down into Tony’s light brown eyes and see an intensity I’ve never seen on a man’s face. To know it’s directed toward me feels even more amazing. “Tell me what you want.” His hot hands skate up my thighs to rest near the aroused juncture between my legs.

I feel the wetness pooling in my panties, my body eager and ready to be with this man I just met. More than anything I want his fingers teasing me to a release. “Slip your thumbs under my underwear and stroke me.”

He pulls his hot lips away from the damp cotton panel of my panties and breathes deep. “Yes, ma’am.”

A prickling ignites my skin, sending the hairs on end when he calls me ma’am. I like it.

I like it a lot.