1. I hear you have a cat in your novel. Tell us about the book.
I actually have two books that have “pets”. The first book is The Scattering of Seeds. This is the first novel in the “New Frontier” series. It is a futuristic romance series about three ships that leave earth to colonize a new planet. The series follows the third ship, The Halcyon, which becomes the victim of conspiracy and sabotage. The colonists are allowed to bring pets with them since they will not be returning to earth. The colonial governor’s granddaughter, Sophie, is six and has brought her cat. Jimmy is a tuxedo cat. The governor is an Ian Fleming fan and said the cat reminded him of James Bond…all it needed was a bow tie. The name stuck. Jimmy is the reason the hero and heroine meet. He is an important character in the story.
The Scattering of Seeds blurb:
Two worlds, one other-worldly adventure…
The handsome Duncan McGregor believes the answers to the questions in his soul can be found by looking to those who have come before him. And just like his ancestors, he’s venturing into a new world to begin a life they could only have dreamed of—a life in outer space. And yet as he reaches this wild new frontier, he finds that his old-fashioned values are being tested by this hard-edged life.
And his first hurdle is no less than Ariel Lindstrom, the daughter of the governor, who may look like an aloof fairy princess but who acts with strength and courage. Thanks to her experiences inside the corrupt world of politics, she’s been forced to grow up fast and hard. She fears her life is about to grow more difficult if rumors of an alliance between the corporation she works for and an alien regime are true.
For them to survive, they must blend the lessons learned by experience with the freedom and bravery that lies in the hearts of an explorer. Can their two worlds come together, or will their adventures in outer space only end in disaster?
The Scattering of Seeds buy links:
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1366513065
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-scattering-of-seeds
My book, The Curse, is book two in my paranormal romance series. It has a cat in it, but cat isn’t really a cat at all. Laren Balantar is under a curse. During the day he is a man, but at night he turns into a long-haired black cat. He retains all his memories and intellect but he cannot speak.
The Curse blurb:
Prince Laren, a Tovenaar destined to be the ruler of his house, has only one goal. Break the spell that forces him to go catting around at night and unleash his wrath on the sorcerer responsible. Then he meets a woman with fiery hair, deep blue eyes, and the body of his dreams. She’s but a pawn in the looming conflict between members of the hidden community. And the prince is torn between his old and new desires.
Juliet Cooper’s plans were simple: sell her great uncle’s property, return home, find a job, and get on with life. But then she meets Laren—in both human and cat form. And her plans get complicated. Juliet finds she can’t leave until she knows the secrets that her great uncle’s property and the handsome, blue-eyed man are hiding, unaware of the price she might have to pay.
When Juliet is attacked by Laren’s opponents, he must decide whether to rescue her, risking not only the wrath of the community members who shelter him and his princely future, but also his life.
The Curse buy links:
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-curse-augustina-van-hoven/1137102966?ean=2940164304461
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1516167548
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-curse-68
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/4AK1wN
Have you ever wondered why all cultures on earth have the same myths and legends? Men who can turn into animals, men who drink the blood of others, elves, fairies, magic? It’s because these creatures are real. The “Tovenaar” series tells you who these people are, where they come from and why they are here. Laren is introduced in the first book of the series, The Hidden, but he is the main character in the second book, The Curse.
The Hidden blurb:
They’ll risk everything for each other…
Lily Montgomery is finding refuge from her vicious divorce and constant self-loathing by writing about the monsters who inhabit her dreams. But then, when she’s rescued by a vampire, she discovers that her monsters are real. Not only that, she’s being pursued by shapeshifters who fear she’ll reveal their secret to humans. Her rescuer is the only constant in her now chaotic world. And, to Lily’s surprise, she fears more for her heart than she does for her life when she’s around him.
Valerian DuCharme is an unusual vampire. Although he’s an enforcer for one of the houses of The Hidden, he’s welcomed by the principled everywhere for his charisma, his caring, and his powers. Valerian lost his true love when he was turned, and his heart has been encased in ice for hundreds of years. Until he meets Lily. And he warms to her charms. But his job is to keep Lily safe. Can he do that and love her, as well?
The Hidden buy links:
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1500280915
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-hidden-32
2. Why did you add a pet to The Scattering of Seeds and a paranormal cat in The Curse?
The character of Jimmy the cat was planned since I got the original idea for the book. I thought about the families who left the old world to immigrate to the new. In the future, the technology of colony ships would allow peoples to take a lot more of their personal possessions. Having families bring their pets would help with some of the stress of the voyage to a new world.
For the character of Laren, who is a powerful magic user, I needed a curse that would break his power and leave him helpless and dependent on others. In The Curse, Laren is befriended by Karl, the human assistant for the vampire Valerian DuCharme. There are some great scenes where Karl and Laren have to communicate while Laren is in cat form.
3. Do you have any pets?
I have two cats, Zayden and Tyrion. Both of them are rescue cats. Zayden is twelve and Tyrion is ten. Zayden is a long-haired black cat and was the inspiration for Laren’s curse. I watched her have to deal with seeds and twigs in her fur, and I thought that would be interesting for a powerful man to have to deal with. A good way to humiliate him which, of course, was the reason he was cursed.
Tyrion wandered into our back yard when he was six weeks old. Someone had dumped him into the forest around us. Our dogs were alive then, and they were barking at him and had him backed up to the sliding door. He was terrified. We brought him into the house, and he’s been with us ever since.
4. What other books have you written?
I have four series of books. I write paranormal romance, time travel romance, futuristic romance and ghost romance. The “Rose” series contains my ghost romance books. There are three books in the series.
The “Love through Time” series are my time travel books. There are three books and three novellas currently in the series with another book and novella coming out later this year.
The “New Frontier” series are my futuristic books. There are two novels and one novella in the series with a third book coming out next year.
The “Tovenaar” series is my paranormal series. There are two books currently with a novella coming out in August.
5. How do you promote your books?
I promote my books on my social media sites as well as my newsletter, book tours and ads on BookBub and Amazon.
6. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Readers can find out more about my books on my website, social media sites, Amazon page and BookBub page. They can also sign up for my monthly newsletter.
Website: https://AugustinaVanHoven.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/augustinavhoven
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Augustina-Van-Hoven/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/augustinavhoven/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Augustina-Van-Hoven/e/B06Y3JKV7T%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
BookBub page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/augustina-van-hoven
Newsletter sign up: https://augustinavanhoven.com/join-newsletter/
BIO: Augustina Van Hoven was born in The Netherlands and currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and pets. She is an avid reader of romance, science fiction and fantasy. When she’s not writing, she likes to work in her garden or, in the winter months, crochet and knit on her knitting machines.
FREE EBOOKS CONTEST! Augustina is giving away two of her Amazon Kindle ebooks: The Scattering of Seeds and The Hidden. Comment on her blog post below to be entered into the contest to win an ebook!
From Marcia: Thank you, Augustina! I love paranormal romances and look forward to reading your books!
MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
Tender Misdemeanors is a romantic suspense novel from The Wild Rose Press, which tells a story that could come from today’s headlines. Federal agents in the northwest U.S. often have clashes with ecotagers—those who commit acts of ecological sabotage—and white supremacist/government conspiracy theorist types as well. Here, we have one woman trying to stand against both.
2. Why did you add pets to Tender Misdemeanors?
Although I write a bit more as alter ego Lyndi Alexander (sci-fi and fantasy), as Alana, I have one series, 
I do have pets in my Masonville Small-Town Romance series. And honestly, it’s gotten a bit out of control…
So, the series starts with just one pet. But then in book two, To Heal A Heart, Blair Greyson, a veterinary technician, moves to Masonville to work at the veterinary clinic with Cole. Blair comes to live with her grandfather on his farm just outside of town, and she brings her two rescue horses, Stormy and Rainbow, with her. Her grandfather has an elderly golden retriever named Jake who’s his constant companion. Blair meets Garrett Saunders, who is Lauren’s brother, when she finds his rescue horse Harry on the road to Masonville. They make a deal for Blair to board Harry at the farm in exchange for Garrett helping with some repairs on the barn.
A couple of my other books also prominently feature pets. In my paranormal comedy 
In 
I mostly write romantic suspense with strong heroines. Sometimes western romantic suspense. It has to be a romance with a HEA [Happily Ever After], and I love to have a mystery or a murder. A couple of the books I’ve written are below.
Blurb: After an eleven-year absence, Janna Kincaid inherits a ranch and is forced to return to a town she only remembers with unhappiness, a man to whom she was briefly married and never wants to see again, and someone is trying to kill her.
I have the best collie ever. Duffy’s the well-trained and much-loved dog of the local sheriff. He pops up in all three “Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge” books. He’s protective and loyal, not just to his owner, but those who have befriended him. In Marriage, Mobsters, and the Marine, he alerts the heroine when her son’s in trouble.
In Sex, Scandal, and the Sheriff, he befriends the heroine when she and the sheriff are caught up in a huge misunderstanding.
Like your romance hot? Does story matter more than sex? Claimed as Theirs gives you both. I’ve had amazing reviews for my second post-apocalyptic novel. The first, Taken as Theirs, featured werewolves. My new one is set in the same world, but it revolves around a triad of vampires trying to reclaim the vampire nation for the true heir. They need a human woman’s touch to do that, though. It’s set on Lindisfarne, a tiny island off the Northumberland coast. Bonus–I got to visit there to check out the details. One reviewer said she could see the settings they were so real.
Rainbow Sprinkles Blurb:
My books are sweet, clean and wholesome small-town romance. I favor a lot of tropes, but my main go-to is second chance or single parent. In Choosing Chelsea, Book 12 in the Gold Coast Retrievers series from Sweet Promise Press, I focused solely on including an adorable Golden Retriever, Ollie, and his horse-loving owner, Chelsea. Of course, the story centers around a single father and his little girl, Lily. This story was one of my favorites to write and has several aww factors.
My book, A New Leash on Love, is part of The Celebrity Corgi series published by Sweet Promise Press. The premise of the series is that each main character is some type of celebrity that has a very spoiled pet corgi. The main character in my book, Prince Dorian of Avington, has Gatsby. When he goes on a goodwill tour of the U.S., he needs to hire a travel companion to look after Gatsby while he’s at his appearances.
Mocha Mayhem blurb:
Deadly pies!
Catnapping and more!