Interviewing a Romance Hero and Heroine

"Anything You Can Do" now available at: http://www.breathlesspress.com
Diana Coyle, Night Owl Reviews: Reviewer Top Pick: 5 STARS!
Top 7.5% Best Selling Romantic Comedy at http://www.allromanceebooks.com
 
I've done romance book character interviews before, but this time I'll do both the hero and heroine at the same time.

Today I'm interviewing Allison Minetti (A) and Jeff Ryan (J), the hero and heroine from " Anything You Can Do".  To give you a little background, Allison wants Jeff's company to become a partner with her childcare facility. It sits directly across the street from Ryan Industries and all her clients work for Jeff's company. When he calls what she does "babysitting", she challenges him to spend a week in Ryan's Rugrats with her. I'll let them tell you more.

Q: Why did you make/accept the challenge?
A: I really needed funding for the center. I was annoyed when Jeff called what I do "babysitting" and thought he needed to see what goes on in a childcare facility. Throwing in the part about him losing and considering helping financially seemed like a plus. I never expected him to make it through the week. (She shifts in her seat and frowns) I didn't expect Jeff to add that part about spending the weekend with him if I lost, but it kinda thrilled me.
J:  She surprised me. Hey. Kids in daycare? I figured all they did was play all day. How hard could that be? She surprised me by daring me to spend a week with her. But, I wanted to get to know her better anyway so I figured, sure. I could do it. And, get her to spend the weekend with me when she lost.

Q: That elevator episode sounds interesting. What happened?
A: (Pink blush stains her cheeks). We, uh, fell together when it jerked into motion. I landed in Jeff's lap, and, well, we kissed. Kind of a-
J: Instinctive move on both our parts. Allison wanted it as much as I did. We hugged and-
A: Kissed. Yes. But it stopped and the elevator door opened.

Q: Did you make things hard for Jeff?
A: (sits up straight in her seat and gets defensive) Certainly not. He just got to experience what I do every day. Of course, he had it easy since some of the kids were missing.
J: (frowns) Hey. That wasn't my fault. I did pretty good the first two days with all the kids. Mostly, anyhow.

Q: Moving on, Jeff...did you give Allison a hard time?
J: I couldn't keep my mind off her and wanted to touch her all the time. She kept enticing me with her looks, great body, sexy voice, loving comments-
A: Sure. That's all I had time for. Enticing you. You drove me crazy. Always within reach, so wonderful with the kids. I couldn't resist your charming charisma and how you kept drawing me to you.

Q: Any passionate episodes at work?
A: (blushes again) A few encounters away from the kids. Couldn't let them see or hear us. It wouldn't be professional.
J: (runs a finger along Allison's cheek) We couldn't stay away from each other. The need to touch, kiss, desire to hold each other, all exploded at times. But, she's right. We had to be careful with the kids.

Q: Tell me about the weekend.
J: Glorious. We finally had time for just us and could let our passion loose.
A: (rubs her hand on Jeff's thigh) We spent most of the time exploring ways to satisfy each other. I never felt so wanted.

Q: You two ran into a "black moment". What happened?
A: (serious look on her face) Someone interfered in our challenge. Things got very confused.
J: (leans forward in his seat) Can't tell you everything, now can we? Let's just say a series of events happened and made us rethink our relationship.

Q: How does this story end?
A: (laughs) We can't tell you. Readers have to buy the book and find out.
J: (nods in agreement) Lots of stuff happens throughout the book leading up to our final page. Some of it is funny, some serious, some sexy encounters. Guess you'll just have to buy the book and read our story. (smiles at Allison)

Q: One last question. I heard something about a second elevator episode. Can you talk about that?
A: (smiles and giggles) Nope. Read the book.
J: (laughs loudly) Let's just say we know how to make use of elevators for other things than just riding up and down.

You can find out the missing pieces of Jeff and Allison's story by buying "Anything You Can Do" at http://www.breathlesspress.com.
Visit http://www.mariannestephens.net for information about my contemporary/paranormal romance books.
Visit http://www.aprilash.net for information about my erotic contemporary romance books.
TWO BIG CONTESTS! Lots of prizes for two lucky winners. Visit http://www.mariannestephens.net for information!
JOIN A NEW YAHOO GROUP: ROMANCE BOOKS R US AT:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus
Lots of fun, contests, information! No spammers allowed!

Older is sometimes better...

I nearly swallowed my tongue when I learned that this hot and hunky cover model is over 50.

O-M-G!!!

I wonder what he would think if he knew this old lady was lusting over him! LOL! He would most likely head for cover and beg for asylum in some foreign country until I am in my grave.

I could be this guy's Cougar! Except I don't think Cougars are over 60. Not sure what they call us really old farts who lust after younger men...(dirty old ladies, maybe?) There is a term for us, but I prefer not to hear it. :P

Seriously, this year I will be officially "old". But I feel like I am still somewhere in my late thirties. Too bad my body doesn't look like it's still in it's late thirties. I could genuinely handle that. I could live with that. Yeah...

I have set a goal for myself to lose 30 pounds before I go to Romanticon this October. Now if I could just convince my taste buds that chocolate tastes like cow pies and whipped cream taste s like whipped rutabagas...and carrots taste like nougat and beets taste like strawberry shortcake...

Anyone got any ideas that would help this hedonistic old fart to make that goal? (Besides wiring my jaw shut?)

Let me know...

Fran

I am too dang tired to write a dang thing.

So here are some of my favorite things -

Lets Go On A Date!

Spring is in the air! Little flowers are coming up in my garden, buds are on the trees and there are enough birds in my back yard that I feel like I’m in an Alfred Hitchcock movie! Squirrels, bunnies and chipmunks are bouncing around happily and the geese flying overhead loudly announce their return. Tis the season for renewal and of course, love.

So what subject do my thoughts naturally wander to? How in the hell do young couples these days go out on a f*cking date? Here in Michigan, they’re lucky if one of them has a job. Filling up the gas tank of a mid-sized car will be $30 or more. I shudder to think what it costs for one of the Hummers whizzing down the road. Going to the movies on a Saturday night can set you back $40 if you get crazy and want a pop and popcorn. A visit to the Detroit Zoo runs $30 without including food or beverage. The Detroit Science Center will cost the lovebirds a whopping $50.00!

One of my favorite things to do is attend a live performance at one of the many venues in the metro Detroit area. I think it is very romantic to be listening to music or watching a play with the one you love.

Spring here also means that the summer concert schedule is released for DTE Energy Music Theater. Back in the day, this was one of the most economical things to do on a date. Tickets were extremely affordable and you could bring a cooler filled with goodies of your choice.

I just bought tickets to see Iron Maiden in July. Let us breakdown what this evening of watching a band that had their heyday thirty years ago will cost, shall we?
Ticket - $42.00
Facility Charge - $3.00
Convenience Charge - $10.55
Order Processing Fee - $4.75
Mailing Fee - $5.00
One small, warm, skunky beer - $8.00
Two more beers - $16.00
T-shirt - $25.00
Grand Total - $114.30 *PER PERSON*

No wonder my daughter and her boyfriend spend Friday nights eating at the dining room table with hubby and I and then watch a movie on TV!!

Tessie

http://www.tessiebradford.com/

Beautiful Strangers are coming!

Beautiful Stranger

I just finished second edits and got my new cover for my next novel-length e-book, “Beautiful Stranger”.

I don’t have a release date but it’s coming soon from Ellora’s Cave Publishing as part of the Sophisticate series. My heroine Lily discovers unexplored possibilities in her life with a gorgeous, younger man.

I couldn’t wait to share the cover and short blurb.

Blurb:

Lily Fontaine is a former beauty queen and media personality but those roles don’t suit her anymore. She’s healing from a hurtful divorce and ready to make big changes in her life, but first she needs her sexual confidence back.

She wants a lover without the risk of heartbreak and considers hiring a male escort as a special treat. Her best friend offers a provocative solution to her request. On her birthday, Lily returns to New Orleans, the place of her birth to meet a special man. She plans to fly in and fly out for a three-day weekend of cool music, great food and hot sex with no emotional attachment and no further contact with the man. She wants to pay to play and hopes to stay in control -what can go wrong?

David is perfect, the man of her dreams. He’s gorgeous, intelligent and knows how to take charge. The attraction is instant. With just the clothes on her back Lily sheds her old life and follows a Beautiful Stranger into bayou country for the adventure of a lifetime.

(I will say Lily’s plan does go wrong. She and David do fall in love and end up on an adventure that will take them both far from where they started…. Bring a tissue, because I just love messing with lovers! lol)

XXOO Kat

Sometimes Even the Best Intentions...

I’ve been down and out lately, having some minor health issues that seem to be getting better. I’m only writing in spurts and blowing off the blog. Hopefully that will change over the next few days.

For Christmas the DH gave me the Dragon Speaking Naturally software. I finally got around to installing it on my laptop today. I was very excited about using it. I’ll admit sometimes I’m lazy and figured speaking would be easier. I’m not so sure right now. You see you must dictate everything – period, comma, question mark, etc. Oh and new line.

The other downfall of this software is quotations or lack of. I can write a sentence and add the tag, he said/she said, but it won’t put it in quotations. Speed would be nice, but to sacrifice the other things will be a PIA when it comes time to edit.

I’ll try it for a few more days and see if it’s worth it.

In other news I signed a new contract last week for my new series – Freedom Fantasies. Book 1 – Pretend with Me will be the story of Paige and Jed.

Here’s a short blurb I threw together:

Freedom Fantasies is a place where women go to live out their ultimate fantasies.

Paige is tired of playing second fiddle to her husband’s best friend. When she tells her best friend she wants to have sex with a stranger, Kim knows exactly what to do.

Kim, owner of Freedom Fantasies, schedules a room and a hot stranger – actually Paige’s husband Jed.

Paige and Jed work on finding their way back to each other with a game of pretend. When they bring Tommy into the mix things get even better.

I’ve past the halfway mark of Book 2 so the goal is to have it submitted by month’s end.

Happy Tuesday!

Do Vampires Have Birth Certificates?

Okay...I admit I like an occasional vampire story that's not too bloody. I'd rather read a good vampire romance book than watch a vampire movie. Too much bloody stuff for my viewing pleasure (?)  isn't for me.

I started to wonder about vampires and everyday life. Yes, we suspend disbelief for most of this stuff in order to concentrate on the "real" story...that of the romance and passion between the hero and heroine.

But let's talk about some "real life" issues a vampire might face. They can't all be rich, can they? Live in mansions, own expensive cars, never work? Right?

So...how does a vampire get a birth certificate? A driver's license? Social Security number (in the US)? Does a vampire pay taxes?

Maybe there's a secret central Vampire Identification Unit that works solely on providing necessary documentation like fake passports, licenses, birth certificates. And, now in the age of advanced technology, these could be updated quite easily.

Surely a 300-year-old vampire can't provide an original birth certificate. In fact, a new one would have to be issued every 30 + or - years to keep the vampire in question "looking" close enough to be in a particular age bracket. With eternal youth at whatever age a vampire was first bitten and "turned", you could only say, "I've had plastic surgery" so long before people would get suspicious.

Now that I'm dwelling on all this, what about resumes? Do vampires get phony ones? Would anyone do a background check and start asking questions?

I guess moving every 30 or so years would help, but new "ID proof" would surely be needed even then. What about voting? Can vampires register? And, here's another question from a far-off tangent from the inquisitive side of my brain...what costume does a vampire wear on Halloween?


Sigh.

I'm thinking way too much about this. I should sit back and enjoy a vampire romance book at face value...as a romance without pesky "hows" getting in the way.

Photos: Flickr: Design Haus, Robin Hutton, and kevandem's photostreams. 


http://www.mariannestephens.net
"Anything You Can Do" is now available as an ebook at: http://www.breathlesspress.com.
http://www.aprilash.net
JOIN A NEW YAHOO GROUP: ROMANCE BOOKS R US at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus
Lots of fun, contests, information! No spammers allowed!
TWO BIG CONTESTS! Go to http://www.mariannestephens.net for information!