On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Xara X. Xanakas bringing shifter fun for all!!!

In high school, Xara X. Xanakas shunned typing class assignments in favor of writing cliffhangers that would drive her friends nuts. She's been toying with writing ever since. A wide cast of characters, including a menagerie of shapeshifters, keeps pressuring her to write their stories, telling her about themselves at some of the most inopportune times. You can probably tell by her initials (~xxx~) that her stories trend toward the very graphic, NSFW, not for minors category. 

Her fine arts degree has been absolutely no help in the IT job she uses to pay the bills. She lives in Texas with her biggest fan and two cats.


And now for the interview portion of the post! =)


Me: What, if any, winter holiday do you celebrate?
Xara: We celebrate Christmas. Our families live close, so we usually visit my family on Christmas Eve and Spouse's on Christmas day. 


Me: What is your favorite family holiday story/tradition/recipe/etc?
Xara: When I was growing up, we didn't have any family nearby, so it was just us on Christmas. We'd make a full day of it, with presents in the morning and food all day. It wasn't always the best food–there were a few Swedish recipes Mom experimented with that were quite...uh...unforgettable? Dad would get out his accordion in the evening and play Christmas carols on it, and we'd drink egg nog or Glögg and sing along, badly.


Me: What is your favorite holiday story? You can choose one m/m and one not if necessary. =)
Xara: *blushes* I haven't read a lot of Christmas stories. I wonder why that is. I can say that my favorite Christmas movie is Yours, Mine, and Ours. It may not be a traditional Christmas movie, but it was always on during the holidays growing up. I loved watching it every year.



Me: What is your favorite thing you have written and why?
Xara: Usually, the latest thing I'm working on is my favorite. Everything I have out is special to me. Cowboys and IT-ains, in the Riding Double anthology is the first thing I ever dared to submit, so I love it. Crazy Wind is the first stand-alone thing I had published, and Snakeskin Boots is the longest thing I've ever written. So they're all my favorites, for different reasons.


Well, there you go then. I guess you will just have to go and buy everything Xara has ever written! ;) Xara has been gracious enough to give me a copy of Snakeskin Boots to give away. Never fear, if you already own Snakeskin Boots, I have been authorized to offer you a copy of Crazy Wind instead!! Comment below with a valid email address (if you didn't sign up originally for the whole event) for an entry into the drawing. Entries will close tomorrow at 9 pm EST.


Snakeskin Boots

Blurb


Jeff Cordata has always known wolves can be dangerous. Not that his luck with snakes has been any better. It's not easy being a wereboa constrictor in a world that worships werewolves. 

When the customer he's been watching for months turns out to be an interested wolf, his first instinct is to flee, but his attraction to Brad Cannidy is undeniable despite the strained relations between their families. Then Jeff’s anaconda ex-boyfriend re-enters his life as a pair of snakeskin boots, the hunt begins for the murderer who is turning weres into accessories, and Jeff will have to decide if a boa and a wolf can really mate for life. 


Crazy Wind

Blurb

Zephyr “Zef” Kokinos has just settled into his job as sheriff of a small ranching town when he gets a call to log a report for an animal shooting. He meets Bobby Joe Decker, foreman of Stendhal’s Stand and everything Zef has always looked for in a cowboy. But the real surprise is that Bobby Joe is aka “fckgfired,” a friend Zef has become close to online. 

Bobby Joe only recently discovered the Internet. He’d set up a date with one of his online friends months ago, but since then he’s realized the only online buddy he really wants to meet is “vientoloco”—“crazy wind.” He doesn’t think he’ll ever have a chance, and then Zephyr blows into his life....

If you want to find out more about Xara and her writing, be sure to check her out at goodreads or her website! You can also find the answer to today's trivia question there. =) Email me at kchayes54@gmail.com with your answers for one entry into the mystery book drawing on Christmas Eve! Pia's trivia question is now closed.

Trivia Question: What is the coolest shifter Xara is working on a story or has written a story about and why? (Yes, this is subjective but as long as the one you pick, is one she has written and give me a reason...you are in!)

Also, don't forget to sign up to be a follower!! If I reach 50 followers by Christmas day then anyone following the blog will be entered to win a $10 giftcard!!!