#MMBBR: MARCH HARLEQUIN BLOG TOUR: IT'S RAINING (WEALTHY) MEN!

All it takes is one sweet taste… 

Daisy Sinclair knows how to make a guy moan with raw pleasure. She should, as owner of the best damn bakery in Chicago. Her cinnamon buns are borderline orgasmic! Of course, standing in front of the city's biggest (and sexy-as-hell) food critic in her skivvies isn't the most professional first impression. Especially when he has a wicked glint in his eye…

Jamie Forsythe isn't exactly a food critic; his twin brother is. One look at Daisy's mouthwatering curves, and Jamie knows only that he wants to have his cake and Daisy, too. Attraction mixed with deception is a recipe for disaster—the naughtiest, hottest kind imaginable. And there's no way Jamie can resist being sent to bed…with Daisy as dessert!

Q&A with Daire St. Denis-Sweet Seduction

1. What are five words that describe your writing process?

Erratic, Daydreamy, Morning (ish), Manic, Plantster (half plotter, half pantster)

2. What emoji best describes your personality? Why?

This emoji best describes my personality: I’m not too serious, I like to have fun and I definitely stick my tongue out too much. Not in a rude way, more because things tend to go awry—like on a daily basis—so this is how I handle it.

3. Which would you rather do: Never write another story or never read another book? Oh man. This is such a hard question! I guess technically, if I write another book and then read what I’ve written, I’ve read another book too… There have been times when I’ve read one of my old files and honestly have no recollection of writing it so I have no idea what’s going to happen next. It’s like I’m reading someone else’s work.  I think that’s normal for writers. Or I’m losing my mind. Either way…I don’t think I answered this question.

4. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Names are very important and I try to choose them carefully. Often it is the combination of sounds and meanings and I’ve been known to peruse baby naming websites and etymology websites to find names. Other times the names just come, almost like the character shouts it at me, “This is my name, so there!”

5. Are you spring, summer, fall, or winter? Please share why. Summer, all the way! I love summer activities, love the long hours of daylight, I love the feel of sunshine on my skin (as long as it doesn’t burn). I love sitting out on patios and sipping wine, going for long walks. Ahhh. The weird thing is, I live in a cold climate. My five year plan is to spend part of the winter in a warmer climate. We’ll see how that pans out…but I’m learning Spanish, just in case!

6. Is there a certain type of scene that's harder for you to write than others? Love? Action? Racy? I like writing all scenes, but I do have to be in the right mood for the scene. For example, racy love scenes are really hard to write when my house is full of kids, who are shouting and arguing and barging in at inopportune times, reading over my shoulder and asking me what certain words mean... If I’m struggling with a scene (for whatever reason) I usually try to get myself in the mood by listening to appropriate music, maybe having a glass of wine and chilling out, letting the scene unfold naturally. If it still doesn’t come, it might mean I’m forcing it and I need to go back and figure out what the characters would do, which may not be what I want them to do as the author.

7. What was your favorite scene to write in Sweet Seduction? Why? Oh, my favorite scene was the boxing scene between the hero and heroine. The heroine (Daisy) is really upset with the hero (Jamie) and makes an off-the-cuff remark about wanting to smack him. He takes her back to his private boxing club where he teaches her how to punch him properly. During the course of the ‘lesson’ Daisy’s anger morphs into another equally passionate emotion and, well, the two them get even hotter and sweatier…ahem.

8. If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? If I had a talk show my first guest would be Jane Austen. I’m a big fan of Jane’s books and I’d love to sit and talk writing as well as find out what life was like for her as there is very little biographical information about her. My second guest would be Ellen Degeneres because I think she is smart, funny and incredibly savvy. She could fill me in on this whole talk show gig and then I’d prank her like she pranks so many of her guests! My third guest would be David Bowie. I love how he reinvented himself over and over again and then found privacy when he needed it. I think I could learn so much from all three of these individuals.

9. What did you find most useful in learning to write?  What was least useful or most destructive? The most useful thing I found when I was learning to write was joining writing groups. I learned so much from my fellow writers: from information about the craft of writing to industry trends. Most importantly, writing groups held me accountable for my writing schedule particularly in the early days before I had any real publishing deadlines. The least useful thing I did was get some of my early work over-critiqued. Having a good, solid critique partner(s) is essential but in this instance, there was so much conflicting advice, it became debilitating and I ended up questioning everything I wrote instead of trusting myself and my process.

10. What are you working on now? What is your next project? I’m working on the third book in my Seduction series, called A Christmas Seduction which features some of the characters from Sweet Seduction, and the sequel, Big Sky Seduction. As the title implies, it will be released December 2016 and I’m very excited about it!

An unwanted desire… 

With the death of his wife still raw, Jack Connolly's mood is dark and dangerous. He's not looking for a woman, until he meets buttoned-up but beautiful Grace Spencer, who stirs his senses back to life. Yet Jack cannot act on his feelings, as Grace belongs to another!

An impossible affair… 

Trapped in a fake relationship to safeguard her family, Grace knows crossing the line with Jack would risk everything she holds dear. Beneath the hunger she sees in Jack's eyes is the promise of something more…but is it enough for her to surrender to a taste of the forbidden?

Q&A withAnne Mather-A Forbidden Temptation

1)      What’s your favorite love story? Fiction or non-fiction.

I have dozens of favourite love stories, but GREEN DARKNESS and KATHERINE by Anya Seton are high on my list.

2)      Is anything in A Forbidden Temptation based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

No, A FORBIDDEN TEMPTATION is not based on any real life experiences, but I can say that the Northumbrian Coastis one of the most beautiful coastlines in the UK and incidentally, I do believe in ghosts.

3)      You get a brilliant phrase/idea/thought at an inappropriate time (while driving, drifting off to sleep/in the shower). What do you do?

I always make a note of any ideas I have, and in consequence I have a notebook full of them!

4)      What’s your favorite line from any movie?

I love the film, DIRTY DANCING, and there are many lines from that script I could nominate, not least the most famous'nobody puts Baby in the corner.'

5)      If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?

The only slogan for life I believe is Charles Darwin's 'IT IS NOT THE STRONGEST OF THE SPECIES THAT SURVIVES, NOR THEMOST INTELLIGENT, BUT THE ONE MOST RESPONSIVE TO CHANGE'.

6)      If you could live anywhere on this planet, and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell us about your choice.

I love where I live now, and although I enjoy travelling and seeing different places, I wouldn't choose to live anywhere else.

7)      What was your favorite scene to write in A Forbidden Temptation? Why?

I think one of my favourite scenes was when Sean was confronted by Lisa's ghost.  I really wanted Sean to meet his match.

8)      What did you find most useful in learning to write?  What was least useful or most destructive?

I don't remember having to learn to write.  I started scribbling in exercise books as soon as I could write and my stories grewas I did.  There's nothing destructive about writing.  It's the best job in the world.

9)      What are five words that describe your writing process?

Time, time, discipline, discipline, satisfaction.

10)   What are you working on now? What is your next project?

I'm in the process of writing my next book for Harlequin Presents.   I'm also working on an ebook, SILENT ECHO, that is comingout with Kindle later this year.

CLAIMING HIS CHILD…AT ANY COST 

A shocking fertility clinic mix-up has resulted in Luca Moretti fathering a child with a woman he's never met. There's no way the CEO will walk away from his baby girl. But he has thirty days to convince her distractingly beautiful mother to do exactly what he wants.

Widow Claire Douglas is still reeling from the loss of her husband when she discovers a stranger has fathered her child. And the rich bachelor will stop at nothing to gain joint custody. How can she possibly fight a man with such money and power…and a charm she can't resist?

Q&A with Andrea Laurence-The CEO’s Unexpected Child

1)    What are five words that describe your writing process? All-encompassing, stressful, caffeine-fueled, and ergonomically awful.

2)    Is anything in The CEO’s Unexpected Child based on real life experiences or purely all imagination? I sincerely hope that IVF mix ups like this don't happen very often in real life. That was pure imagination. The death of Claire's husband was inspired, in part, by the death of someone I know. He died in a 1 car wreck on a road he shouldn't have been on, without his wife, late on a weeknight, and without any discernible reason for the accident like alcohol or car defect. I have no clue about the actual cause of his accident, but it got me thinking about the various reasons it could happen and my brain went down the rabbit hole.

3)    If you were to name one piece of clothing that describes your personality, what would it be? I have a large collection of shoes that includes several pairs of Converse. I'm probably too old for them, but I don't care. If anything described my personality, it's the pair of silver glitter low-top Converse. It's sparkly, but not too dressy. It catches your attention, but you aren't quite sure what to make of it. Never quite what you expect. That's basically me. Plus sarcasm.

4)    Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you? I am a very big plotter. The longer the synopsis the better. I typically plot books with my plotting group, then develop a detailed synopsis - 10-15 pages or so including in depth character analysis. Then, I take the synopsis and break it into chapter by chapter chunks to help me with pacing. Even then, the story sometimes wanders in its own direction. Characters do what they want to.

5)    Who is your favorite literary villain and why? I love Greek mythology and I think I would have to choose Medea. She has a good reason to be upset – she gave up everything to be with Jason and he just casts her and their children aside to run off and marry some princess. Medea gets her revenge in the worst possible way, but you still feel bad for her in the end. That story has always stayed with me since I read it.

6)    What was your favorite scene to write in The CEO’s Unexpected Child? Why? There's a scene in the book where Luca's family finds out about the baby. They all descend on the house in their loud fashion, which irritates Luca and terrifies Claire. Eva, of course, loves the adoration. That was a lot of fun to write. Luca and Claire had been in their own little bubble before that.

7)    If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? Wow. I can't imagine that anyone would watch a talk show of mine. But if it happened... I'd want Bastille, my favorite band, J.K. Rowling, my favorite author and Mel Brooks, who makes awesome movies. I hope my talk show is five hours long because I wouldn't want it to end!

8)    What did you find most useful in learning to write?  What was least useful or most destructive? Getting in touch with my distinct voice was a challenge, but in the end, the most beneficial thing I did in learning to write. I did a book with a character that was dead. No one could see him but the heroine. It gave him free-reign to say and do whatever he wanted. I found that my voice really flowed through that character because he wasn't trying to conform to a hero or heroine standard. He just was what he was. That book is under the bed, but it's still one of my favorites. Oddly, I would say the least useful advice I received was to write the book I wanted to write, then figure out where it fit in the industry. That didn't work for me because there wasn't a box for what I was doing. I wrote 10 books before I found one that fit into a box. To sell to a major print publisher, I had to focus, choose a place I wanted to be, and aim for that with the story. One day maybe I can write a special snowflake book and a publisher will take the risk, but they rarely do that with a writer's first publication.

9)    What does a perfect day look like to you? It would either be a day of travel to someplace amazing I've never seen before, or a day at home in pajamas watching movies and eating takeout. Generally, if I'm not getting a stamp in my passport from it, I'd rather stay home and cuddle my dogs.

10)    What are you working on now? What is your next project? I'm currently working on my upcoming Hawaiian Nights mini-series for Desire. The Pregnancy Proposition and The Marriage Proposal will be out this winter with two hot Hawaiian heroes to keep us warm. After that, I'll be working

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