Guest interview with new Author Xandra James

I am delighted to have brand new author Xandra James with me today. Her debut Novel  Reluctant Revenge released last week J

Nash was bound to Sienna completely – by a blood connection and a deep desire. An Enforcer for the Supranormal community, he was obligated to protect his sexy assignment, despite her family devastating his world.

After being betrayed, Sienna falls into the arms of her surly protector; a demon with a secret of his own. But can she face her destiny knowing she's more dangerous than those Nash was protecting her from? 

Buy link from Pink Petal Books - www.pinkpetalbooks.com/Xandra-James/ 

I’m lucky to call Xandra a friend and she is a member of our wonderful critique group UCW.

So, Xandra, have you come off the ceiling yet?

Thanks for having me over, Doris. Congratulations on your own releases. And to answer your question…Nope! I fully intend to stay here until at least Christmas. It's pretty fun living on cloud nine, lol.

Don’t blame you one little bit! Enjoy it!

Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm a 33 years old, married and live in the UK. I seem to have always been a bit obsessive with romance books  -  I have boxes AND boxes of them – so it was kind of a natural progression to actually put pen to paper (okay, finger to keyboard) and write. If you're into astrology, I'm a crabby Cancer girl… which should tell you a WHOLE lot about me as a person since I could be a poster-girl for it!

Hmm, one of my ex- boyfriends (sshh don’t tell hubby) was a Cancer, lol.

Q. What made you write ‘this’ story?

Reluctant Revenge actually started off back in 2010 as a first chapter for the Mills & Boon, New Voices contest. Way back then, it wasn't anything like what it is today. So, after I failed to place, I picked myself out of the mountain of tissues and stopped feeling sorry for myself, and re-wrote it.  After months  of looking for the real story, I stopped obsessing and left it. I came back to it months later and re-wrote the 25k in about 10 days and… ta-da! Reluctant Revenge was born J

I love how we all have our own New Voices story to tell J

Q. Describe a typical day’s writing for us

I would LOVE to have a typical writing day. I'm just so un-organised and such a procrastinator that it never quite works to plan and each day is a new adventure!  

Okay, so what usually happens is I open the laptop, check email and everything else and vow to start writing after a cup of coffee. After my second cup of coffee of the day, I think I should probably go and actually open a Word document. After my third, I'm thinking I have chores and other work to do, so I go do that first. Finally I open Word, stare at it for a bit, then think whether I should make another coffee. I dither around until I should be starting to think about dinner, knowing hubby will be home soon and I realize the day's passed in a flash, and that's when I usually type like a demon to make word-count. My Muse likes imminent deadlines it seems. If it isn't urgent, she doesn't want to know, lol.

Seems we share the same muse! lol

Q. What inspires you?

Everything. My family, my animals, books I've read, films, cover art, nature, thinking of new book titles…being in love (okay, I know, soppy right?!).  

Yeah, soppy, but hey we write romance, we’re allowed to be soppy!

Q. If you weren’t a writer what would you be?

I've always wanted to be a writer (apart from that short time when I was a kid that I wanted to be an archaeologist or a lawyer), so I'd probably want to be involved in the writing industry still. One of my dreams – shh! Don't tell anyone – is to open a small publishing house one day, so maybe that's exactly what I'd want to do.

If you do, sign me up!

Q. Do your characters ever surprise you?

Nash did, definitely (Reluctant Revenge). I thought I had him down but when I finally started listening to the real story he was trying to tell me, all these fantastic bits poured out, completely surprising me. It'll teach me to listen to the characters a little more!

Lol, that does tend to help.

Q. What could not do without when you’re writing?

My notebook – even if I'm not using it – and coffee. And it probably wouldn't feel the same without cats fighting or climbing all over me either.

*nods re cats and coffee and adds kids*

Q. What words of wisdom do you have for the aspiring authors out there?

Know that your first draft will be fantastically bad (even when you think it's the best thing since sliced bread), finish what you start, write everyday if you can and always be open to learning.

Wise words!

Q. Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I'd love to be a bestselling author by then. I think that's the ultimate dream. But, if I'm being honest, I'd be happy to still be writing and making a living from it.

Q. Do you have a favourite quote?

"She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain" I believe by Louisa May Alcott. That pretty much sums me up in a nutshell, lol.

That’s a great quote!

Q. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

I usually stop writing when the characters are going in the wrong direction and I've hit a brick wall. Once I work out the issue, get my head around remedying that problem, that's when I get back to writing again.

Q. What other books can your readers look forward to?

Thanks for asking! Well, I have Shadow Justice coming out in January with Siren Publishing. That's book 1 of the Moon Magic series and I adore it as it's pretty fast paced and full of action. Set in England, as is Reluctant Revenge,  it's a 30k novella.

They sound brill!

Q. And finally can you share an excerpt with us?

Can I leave you with a 'not suitable for underage readers' excerpt?

Oh yes, in fact I insist on one!

"This is a bad idea." Nash's mouth found her own, taking her tongue immediately and forcefully, forging a blazing path across her lips. "A very bad idea."

Sienna couldn't disagree more as she opened her mouth and mind to him, to take as he pleased. He lowered her to the floor then as he pushed her dress off of her shoulders, tugging the material down exposing her strapless basque. She watched as his eyes devoured her curves, and she squirmed. The dress dropped to the floor as the steam started to fill the room.

"Holy shit – If I didn't have a thing about red underwear, I do now." Nash ran his hand gently down the outline of her breast and Sienna arched toward him, a come-hither smile playing across her mouth. She wanted him. Badly. Right now. Her hands reached out to him and made short work of pulling off his t-shirt and un-buttoning his jeans.

"How do I get into this thing? I don't want to ruin it." She took his roughened hands in hers and felt like a sexy siren as she put them in between her breasts and showed him the hidden hook and eyes, watching him as he delicately carried on trailing down her stomach, slowly exposing her breasts.

He carefully draped the underwear on top of the sink before pushing her knickers down her legs, his eyes devouring the exposed contours of her lower body. She was naked in front of him and she was more turned on than she could ever imagine.

Nash took his fill of her without touching, trailing his eyes over her breasts and down. Then his boots were being kicked off and he was pulling down his jeans and boxers to expose a large penis. Sienna grinned as her eyes devoured Nash in all his glory, her tongue darting out to moisten her now dry lips.  He bent and pulled out a packet of condoms from his discarded jeans and took one out in anticipation of what was to come, leaving it on the sink.

He took her hand and stepped into the shower with her. Water rained over them both as they allowed their hands to move across each other's bodies as their mouths devoured one another.

Sienna's nipples peaked as he took one in his mouth. Water cascaded down his face and over her skin and she pushed her hands through his hair, moaning her pleasure.

Stepping away from her breasts, Nash soaped up his hands as he began to wash her hair and body. Rinsing her gently and methodically until Sienna thought she was going to burst. She did the same to him, before kneeling onto the floor of the shower and soaping his dick and rinsing it carefully. She couldn't help it; it looked so appetizing that she took it into her mouth. Nash's moan floated down to her, over the water.

In and out, she took it deep into her throat until she thought she would explode from the sensation herself. Nash's hands were on her shoulders and she was dragged up with a growl and a curse.

"You can fuck me with that mouth of yours another time, sweetheart." Nash reached out of the shower and grabbed the condom, making quick work of sheathing himself. His hands were back on her in moments and this time, he knew exactly what he wanted. "Right now, I want to be inside you."

Thanks so much for stopping Xandra! J

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