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

 To find Xandra on the web, see the links below

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Weekend Dirty Dozen

It's back :-)

Todays twelve come from my Erotic Romance Scandinavian Scandal

Blurb:
Sven Larsson, international movie star, is out to repair his scandalous reputation. The last thing he needs is for an enticing bundle of curves to fall into his arms. However, the instant sexual chemistry he has with Sylvia is hard to ignore...

Sylvia, young widowed mum of three, knows Sven is everything she doesn't need in a man. Can she risk giving into temptation?

With the Paparazzi breathing down their necks and both of them scarred emotionally by their past demons, will they manage to heal each other...


Available from Noble Romance


My twelve:

This was Sven, for pity's sake; she knew she could trust him. He had only suggested handcuffs, not a goddamned threesome. People did this all the time. But the other frightened stiff part of her could only remember another man demanding she give up all control, and she couldn't help the shudder going down her spine.

Get a grip girl, and just breathe, he is not Richard.

Forcing her breathing to slow down, she turned to find him leaning against the closed door watching her, the heat in his steady gaze ensuring low burning arousal won over the fear churning her stomach.

"Did I spook you that much?"

"No . . . I . . . I . . . of course not."

"Liar."

With the prowl of a predator with his prey in sight he pushed himself away from the door, covering the distance between them with two long strides. Framing her head in his hands, his breath fanning across her cheeks, his mouth touched hers, his tongue trailing along the contours of her bottom lip.

"Öppna för mig vackra."

You can find other participating Authors here, so do go and check out their twelve and like the Facebook page, if you're on there. 

Have a fabulous weekend folks xx

Guest Interview with Debut Author Candice Butler

I am thrilled to have Candice Butler on my blog today...

HI Candice :-)

Hello, my name is Candice Butler and my debut novel to be released by Noble Romance on 12/19 is Serving Serena.  I really am excited to be given the opportunity to talk about writing, although  I really hate talking about me.  

Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Sure, I’m married and a year younger than my heroine.  I absolutely love to write and have been doing it for more than 30 years although the only things I’ve gotten paid for are the reports I write for my employer.  I love romance.  It does make the world go round, mine at least. 

Nod, where would we be without some romance.

Q. What made you write ‘this’ story?

I read my first romance in junior high, around age 13 and I never stopped reading them. However, as I got older the heroines never got much older than somewhere in their forties.  Great stories, but after 50 you ponder different things, decision-making is different, even the decisions on who to love and make love to.  I wanted to read about heroines who had more perspective, so I wrote about them.

Great stuff, we def need more older heroines.

Q. Describe a typical day’s writing for us

Frankly, I have no typical days with a 40 hour a week job and a business to run.  I will say this; I start a new story when it comes to me.  And I can never start unless the heroine and hero have told me their names and how their story ends.  The rest is discovery.  

Q. What inspires you?

I’m inspired by great writing, whether it’s in books, magazines, newspapers or on the screen.  I love a well put together story.  It doesn’t have to be deep or profound just beautifully written.  I’m also inspired by acts of courage and acts of kindness, big or small; always wish I had more of those in me.   

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

I’m a lot of things, a government investigator, a business owner, belly dancer.  I’d be these things even if I wasn’t constantly waking up in the middle of the night to jot down a new plot twist. 

Q. Do your characters ever surprise you?

Always, if they don’t the story doesn’t get finished.  I love it when they take that turn down the unexpected path to give the story more texture.   When they come alive and make me go a ha, that’s how it works.

*nods enthusiastically* Me too!

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

My computer.  I used to write by hand, you know longhand on yellow tablets.  Now I just think too fast for 

that to be effective. 

Am with you there, I couldn't do without my trusty netbook.

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

Write.  It is as simple as that.  You get better, you like it more, you settle in to you.  Most important submit and don’t be afraid of criticism.  I think I would have gotten here much faster if I had followed that piece of advice. 

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

Ten years older, retired and still writing and hopefully still having a great time living. 

Q. Do you have a favourite quote?

Yes, here goes. 

Tell me what it is that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?  A ship is safe in port, but that is not what ships are for.  Mary Oliver

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

Yes, but thankfully it is always short lived.  I usually get rid of it by starting something new.  That’s why I have so many unfinished stories. 

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

Well one story kind of led to the next and suddenly I was on a roll of women who are lucky enough to meet the perfect man, who happens to be a god.  So in this series there is

Him – A retired airplane designer, finds out her next door neighbor is the Egyptian God of Fertility and he has one thing on his mind; her.

The Kitchen God’s Girlfriend – The kitchen gets really hot when a disillusioned chef meets up with the hunky Kitchen God .

Frenemies  - What happens when the Mother Goddess, in disguise meets and falls for her ancient enemy, a Warlock in disguise.

Sniff – It’s been said that our noses are a direct portal to our minds and emotions.  A professional nose aka perfumer finds out it can also be direct portal to our past lives when an old lover hires her to concoct the perfect scent. 

Excellent I love a good series!

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

I love this scene in Serving Serena.  Are we supposed to love our own stuff?  Who knows? I think we better love it a lot, because we’ve given it precious hours of our lives.  

Of course you have to love your own stuff! 

A twinge tightened my neck as I straightened up to grab a new pencil.

“Ouch!”

 In an instant, Teros moved to my side, his strong fingers massaging the knotted muscles of my neck.

“You need a break,” he said. Gently, he pried the pencil from my fingers, which had also begun to cramp. How long had we been at this?  The clock showed a quarter past midnight—over five hours.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you this long.” 

“Don’t worry. I enjoyed watching you work. Now sit.” Teros led me to the chair he’d been draped over a moment before. I settled into the cushions, still warm from his body. 

“How about some chamomile tea with your sandwich?  It will help you sleep.”  He moved over by the refrigerator, dropping down on one knee, searching through a cabinet until he came up with an electric kettle and a canister. He still hadn’t slipped on his robe. For this, I thanked the gods.

Grace and power manifested themselves in his every movement. He walked to the bathroom to fill the kettle, then returned, and plugged it in. He retrieved cups from the cabinet and food from the refrigerator. I watched as he poured steaming hot water into the mugs. I was surprised when he unwrapped two sandwiches. He’d planned on working late.

“Here, drink this.” Teros handed me a warm mug, watching me until I’d lifted it to my lips to sip.

My neck twinged again. Teros set his mug down on the table. Moving behind me, he slid his hand inside my shirt and gently gripped my knotted shoulders. His glorious, naked body hovered over me while his hands soothed away the stiffness. Setting down my own mug, I gave myself up to his incredible ministrations and my fantasy of what it would be like if this were only the prelude to a whole night of hot sex.

Suddenly, he stopped, his fingers resting lightly on my clavicles. Electricity coursed through me, along with overpowering desire. This situation could get out of hand fast.  

“Don’t tighten up on me Serena,” he said near my ear.

A moan slipped out before I could stop it. “Teros, I need to be honest with you. I’m thinking and feeling things about you that are totally inappropriate not only because you’re a monk. But I’m also old enough to be your mother and definitely should know better. I’m sorry. ” 

He kept massaging but said nothing.

Talk about your awkward silences. The pressure of his fingers against my skin had me practically coming.

Nervous laughter. Mine. “I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you. Maybe we should call it a night.” 

His breath tickled my ear. Then I felt his lips press against that sensitive spot just above my shoulder blade. A shudder went through me. I must be dreaming.  Either that or I’d just jumped onto the devil’s expressway to hell.

He chuckled.

His hot breath against my skin made me wetter, and my clit throbbed. I squeezed my legs tight.

This is freaking impossible!

He leaned over my shoulder, the heat from his chest penetrating the thin material of my top. I breathed in his scent and felt my pussy clinch reflexively.

His strong fingers slid under my chin and turned my face until only a few molecules of air separated our lips.

“Serena,” he whispered. “I’m not a monk.”  

What!? Yes! No! Oh, god help me!

Unable to stop, I closed that space, putting my lips against his perfect mouth. He responded, burying his fingers in my hair and pulling me closer. After a brief chaste moment, his tongue slid into my mouth, and my body suddenly exploded into life.

 Great Excerpt Candice! Wishing you many sales!

I hope you’ll give this one a try.  It is a labor of love … and lust.  Also check out my website for contests, info and the blog ramblings of a woman a of a certain age atwww.candicebutler.com   Serving Serena releases on December 19th atwww.nobleromance.com    I'm hoping to live up to the moniker Hot New Talent. 

I would love to hear from anyone. 

Thanks again for stopping by Candice. It was lovely to get to know you a bit better :-)