Author Interview - Lee Piper is here to rock your world!

Happy Saturday, folks! If, like me, you've spent most of the past week ploughing through your TBR pile, you probably fancy a new book. And you probably fancy a new book even if you haven't, because books! Well, I've got one for you. The second in Lee Piper's Mondez series, ROCK MY BODY. Want to get to know Lee and her hot rock star a little better? Read the interview and then check out the saucy excerpt below!

 

Hi, Lee! Let's start by hearing a little bit about your newest release.

Rock My Body is Book #2 in the Mondez series and runs parallel with Book #1, Rock My World. Each novel is based on one of the four men from the band, Mondez, however is written from the perspective of the women who ultimately bring them to their knees.

I’m really passionate about eradicating the stigma surrounding mental health, so I decided to write a novel from the viewpoint of a heroine who has been medically diagnosed with Anxiety. It’s a great way to not only highlight the (many) challenges of this illness but to also celebrate the strength of someone who lives with it, through humour and music.

Fantastic. I'm passionate about championing mental health and the way we approach it here in the UK, so this idea really entices me. Was there any part of this story you found particularly tough to write? If so, why?

The hardest thing about writing Rock My Body was the fact I was pregnant with severe morning sickness (19 weeks, people. 19 looooong weeks) while also trying to work full time and raise a three year old. It was so unbelievably hard. Strangely, I was really happy with the manuscript itself, it was just the extenuating circumstances surrounding its creation which really knocked me around!

Well, at least that must have been a sign the book was on the right track! Do you have a favourite genre to write in?

I love, love, love writing contemporary and erotic romance. I’m not a fan of traditional romance, and can’t stomach the thought of writing, throbbing members or quivering thighs, in any of my manuscripts. Ever. I like my romance honest, real and with a healthy dose of alpha.

To be honest, I'm not even sure what a quivering thigh would really look like, but probably not that sexy, so fair enough! Who are your biggest influences – they don't have to just be literary ones!

In all honesty, my biggest influences are the authors I admire. The fact that there are so many ridiculously talented people out there who can transport readers to another world through the turn of a phrase, is truly mind blowing. And it doesn’t stop there. Every word chosen has been so carefully thought out, edited and then edited again. There’s so much blood, sweat and tears behind every book published and this willingness to share a part of oneself with the world, is beyond brave.

Music also plays a massive role. And I’m talking the heavy rock kind—the louder the better. For every book I write, I have a soundtrack. Cog’s, The New Normal was the album which I listened to religiously while writing Rock My World. Whereas Dead Letter Circus was on repeat while writing Rock My Body, and Twelve Foot Ninja (all awesome Aussie bands btw) is what I’m listening to at the moment while writing the third book in the series, Rock Me.

Fab, new bands for me to check out! If you could recommend any book (beside your own) to everyone reading this, what would it be?

Just one? Wow, that’s tough! I would really recommend Stephen King’s, On Writing. Not only is this man a heck of a lot funnier than I ever gave him credit for, but he understands the mechanics behind writing brilliantly. Better yet, he’s able to explain these concepts through examples from his and other writer’s work in a way which is heaps easy to comprehended. This book is super inspiring too because he wrote it after his accident and explains how writing helped him survive his darkest days.

I do love On Writing. I'm probably due a re-read of it. What else are you working on right now? What's up next from you?

Rock My Body is being released on June 3 through Evernight Publishing and I’m currently working on Rock Me, Book #3 in the Mondez series. This book is hil-ar-i-ous, I’m having so much fun writing it. The main character, Katrina, is an absolute crack-up. Her band, Adrift, has recently been signed with a major record label and is on their first tour with the boys from Mondez. Many, many shenanigans ensue. Enough said. 

 Who doesn't love shenanigans? Thanks, Lee! Now, folks - read on for a closer look at ROCK MY BODY!

  
 

Riley Sears promises herself never to fall in love unless it's going to end in an engagement ring and a white picket fence—her medically diagnosed anxiety skyrockets otherwise. 

Enter Dominic Mondez, the hottest guy ever to grace pecs and abs. He propositions Riley with a cocky yet tempting offer of the best sex of her life—his words. However, after learning he’s a manwhore who never sleeps with the same woman twice, Riley's decision becomes remarkably simple.

No. Way. In. Hell.  

He is a commitment phobe; she needs commitment. End of story.

Sadly, traversing the murky waters of friends without benefits isn't simple, especially when he's lead guitarist of local rock band, Mondez. Riley is also cautious of his tempestuous nature, womanising ways and—even worse—inexplicable jealousy. He is bad for her in every possible way.

Bad, bad, bad.

If only her body would listen.

Available now from:

Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/rock-my-body-by-lee-piper

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2rHEztR

Amazon CA:  http://amzn.to/2qDQtkg

Amazon UK:  http://amzn.to/2sgTcS3

Amazon AU:  http://amzn.to/2qDlq8s

B&N:  http://bit.ly/2qIO8Ut

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2sh1WaL

iTunes: http://apple.co/2rsvvs2

Keep going for your excerpt!

Flashback Friday - Time to get lost in space!

Happy Friday! How's it going? I'm approaching the end of a week off work, which has been so nice. I've read a ton, written a half-ton, and generally had a very chilled out time. And there's still two and a bit days to go! Huzzahs. I'm in the middle of a very melodramatic gothic novel that's making me really want to write a book worthy of covers like these. In the meantime, we're going far, far away from gothic melodrama for today's flashback, with a trip to deep space!

BONDMATE

by J. J. Lore

Evernight Publishing

ASIN: B00K2MDKDU

Runner-up best Planet Alpha Book for 2014 in Evernight Publishing’s Reader’s Choice Awards

Honorable mention as Best Ménage book of 2014 in Love Romances Café reader’s poll

Decorated Alphan warriors Mateen and Bynton are on a clandestine mission to one of Earth’s refugee camps, in search of the one woman who might complete their bond. Tempering their instincts to capture and hold, both men realize they must court their chosen woman to win her trust.

Avanelle Rein is merely trying to survive in the chaos of a dying society. The last thing she expects is rescue at the hands of golden-skinned alien men. Despite her attraction to them, she fears their warrior ferocity.

Facing danger from Xyran raiders draws the three together as they explore their new relationship and one another. An unexpected challenge during an ancient claiming right forces Avanelle, Bynton, and Mateen to decide if their bond is strong enough to survive.

 Buy Links

Evernight

Amazon US

Kobo

Bookstrand

 Barnes & Noble

Read on for an excerpt!

Wednesday Snippet - Star-filled eyes watched her

The writing has been slow-going recently, mostly because I spent a lot of last week running around like a mad thing at the day job preparing for being off work this week. But! I am now off work. And hopefully the next few days will be productive and push me ever-closer to the end of Imperial Demons. Cross your fingers for me. I'm also anticipating first round edits for either LICH QUEEN or ON A DARK TIDE in the near future, since both are currently slated for release in June. Obviously edits will slow down writing, but maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, I am so excited about both those stories!

Anyway! Let's check in with Lola in the meantime.

Forgive me, Stephen, for I have sinned...

It's been seven days since I last worked on Imperial Demons. According to the rules clearly laid out in your Daily Beast article, this means I must now abandon the project, because...I don't know, effort is pain and makes my skin hurt, or something.

Now, look, I don't normally write blog posts aimed at writers. I want to make this a place for my readers by and large, but sometimes I read something so dumb and potentially damaging to writers that I just think...ah, fuck it. This is one of those times.

Let's get the obvious thing out of the way first. Of course consistency matters if you want to finish a book. This is true whether you're seeking publication or not. However, putting it out there that if you don't write Every. Single. Day, you're doomed to failure and obviously not committed and should go train to be a lawyer instead, and will be trampled over by a hoard of more committed, deserving authors, is just dumb and moreover, false.

For one thing, everyone's schedule is different. My day job takes me out of the house between 7am and 6pm five days a week. I run an Etsy shop that, tallied up, probably takes another seven-fourteen hours out of my free time every week when it's open full-time. I have a persistent and pretty much unfixable problem with both arms/shoulders that often leaves me in tremendous pain and physically unable to write some days. So no, I don't write every day. You know what?

It doesn't fucking matter. I still finish books and I get them out there for readers. I know writers who have way more complicated schedules and lives than mine, and they do the same, because they get that what matters isn't Write Every Day Or Else, but Just Fucking Write. You do have to make time, definitely. But if you can't make time seven days a week, 365 days a year, don't worry, and don't let people give you bad advice about that. Write in a way that works for you. For some people, that's 300 words every morning before the day job. For others it's 5k a day in between taking care of their kids. For some (like me), it's 5k a week (hopefully) around, like, eating and sleeping and making perfume and making sure my boss goes to the right country for conferences.

Writing is hard, sure, but real life is too, and what you need most is a solid understanding of what will work for you and the flexibility to adapt as life changes around you.

The other issue I take with the article is the assumption that unless you're writing for publication, and by publication clearly Stephen Hunter means traditional publishing, it's not worth it. That is bullshit. There are a lot of reasons to write, and for your own goddamned pleasure is just as valid as for a paycheck. You want to write that 100k space opera fanfic? Fucking go for it, and enjoy the hell out of it. You want to write with the aim of landing an agent and a movie deal? Fucking go for that too. You want to self-publish? Fucking go for that, and if you want to write fanfic and trad stuff and self-publish ALL AT THE SAME TIME, then yes, go the fuck for that! There is no correct way to be a writer, and no One True Path, and don't let anybody tell you different.*

There are a lot of places you can go for advice as a writer, regardless of what level of your career you're at. There are a lot of valid voices out there too, with experience in all aspects of the industry. Read around. Ask questions. Learn. But never, ever, ever listen to anyone who gives you reasons to stop writing. They are not on your side.

And now that's out of my system, I am in fact getting back to work on Imperial Demons. I mean, if I'm allowed...




*I mean, don't plagiarise anyone. That would be shit.

Flashback Friday - Get Vexed!

Happy Friday! I'm coming at you live from a gloriously sunny English evening, which I can see clearly through my living room window. Not being accustomed to direct sunlight, I'm a bit wary of it all, but Yuki is loving it, so that's good enough for me. Anyway! You came for books, right? Right! Let's say hello to Wren Michaels and her paranormal romance, VEXED.

Vodou stole her life. A gay ghost stole her boots. And the man who stole her heart stole her memories. Kena plans to get it all back.

Ex-cop Kena's life is filled with regret, beer, and Cheetos. That is, until her ghostly roomie sends her dumpster diving, leading her to a sexy stranger named Luc and a fate she'd rather not remember. As Kena's memories resurface, so do her feelings for Luc, the man she's secretly been in love with for the last thousand years. And he needs her for more than a stroll down memory lane.

Vodou spirits, known as Loa, have been trapped in human form, and are trying to make their way back to the spirit world. But Luc's brother is possessed by a vengeance demon conjured at the hands of NOLA's crime syndicate kingpin. Saving him means damning herself to a spirit prison in a loveless, arranged union with the very man she's supposed to rescue. But not helping Luc's brother sentences him to death, leaving New Orleans in the hands of black magick, and losing Luc forever.

Buy Links

Amazon | Evernight Publishing | Book Strand |Smashwords | Barnes & Noble

Read on for an excerpt!

---

After stripping out of the wet clothes, I wrapped the towel around myself and wandered out to his room. On the bed lay a white long-sleeve button-down shirt. With a hard swallow, I dropped the towel and picked up the shirt, pulling it to my face. I took a long, hard sniff. Laundry detergent. Of course. Did I think it would smell like him?

Like he'd give you a dirty shirt to wear, Kena.

Thankful he didn't witness me in idiot-mode, I slid myself into the shirt and was caught mid-button when he knocked at the door.

“Are you decent?” He pushed the door open a crack.

“I'm clothed, if that's what you mean. Decent is debatable at the moment.” Purposely leaving the top three buttons undone, I worked my way to the bottom button as he walked in.

He halted mid-stride and looked at me. His chest rose and fell in quick spurts, training his eyes over me from head to toe. Veins traversed the length of his arm as he clenched his fists at his sides. “I don't wear underwear, so I apologize I have no bottoms. It's all I had that was long enough to cover you.” His position relaxed as he leaned against the mahogany armoire.

“Anything's better than cold, sopping-wet clothes.” I ran a finger through my hair, now slowly drying into loose stringy curls.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened tonight?” Folding his arms across his broad chest, bulging muscles stretched the navy-blue fabric barely covering his biceps.

I shook my head. “Not until I get some honesty from you, big guy.”

With a tilt of his head, he donned a sly grin. “You haven't asked the right questions.”

“Is this a game for you? Do you enjoy messing with people's lives? Do you get off on some fucked-up high being in total control?” My fingernails burrowed into the palm of my hand. Everything in me wanted to slap the shit out of him and then ride him like a cowboy.

He pushed off the dresser and walked over to me, lowering his head coming to a stop inches from my face. “You're the one in control and yet you refuse to acknowledge it. You refuse to let your mind accept it. Stop playing and start being.”

“What do you want from me?” I yelled, a little louder than intended.

“I want you to be you. I want you to”—he stopped and dropped his gaze to my lips, and then slowly made his way back up to my eyes—“come back.”

“Kiss me.” The words rushed from my lips without another thought. My heart hammered so hard in my chest I thought it would shatter my rib cage.

His breathing quickened. A low growl rumbled in his throat. “Don't do this to me, Kena.”

“Don't do what? You're the one doing things to me.” I slammed my hands against his chest and he sailed across the room, his back hitting the dresser behind him. “Shit! I'm sorry.” I reached out for him with a trembling hand.

Fuck, I’d done it again.

He shook his head and straightened himself up. In a blur of movement, he shot across the room and grabbed onto either side of my shirt, yanking me up to his face. “You want me to kiss you?”

“Yes,” I said in more of whooshing sound than a word.

He pressed his lips against my neck and his fingers curled into the fabric of the shirt, pulling

me onto my tiptoes. “You don't even know who I am.”

“I don't care.” Words no longer made sense to me, only his touch spoke a language I could understand.

He laughed as he pushed me against the wall. Gripping the back of my head with the entire palm of his hand, he splayed the other across my cheek, his thumb resting against my jawline. Tilting my head back, he hovered his lips over mine. “You will.”

His lips crushed against my mouth.

With a sweep of his tongue, he devoured me into a kiss the likes of which I've never experienced before in my life. He punished my mouth with his tongue, sliding it over mine in a delicious dance of ecstasy and aggression. His hold on me was not that of violence, but of passion. The way his fingertips eased against my face, yet held me there as if he was scared to let go, revealed a vulnerability. He may be a man of few words who knew how to play the vague card, but his body and actions gave him away.

I arched into him, and he pinned me back against the wall with his hip. Clawing at his shirt, I ripped it out of his jeans and slid my fingers over his heated skin. A surge of energy rushed my fingertips as they glided along his body, electrifying me.

“Fuck, Kena,” he hissed, pulling back from the kiss.

In a movement so fast it blurred everything around me, he shot out the door, slamming it behind him. He left me gasping, clinging to the wall behind me just to remain standing. My legs wobbled like Jell-O as I stumbled to the bed and collapsed. He sucked all the air from my body and replaced it with an ache, a driving need for more of him.

What the hell was he? 

 

Author Bio:

Wren Michaels hails from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin where beer and cheese are their own food groups. But a cowboy swept her off her feet, and carried her away below the Mason-Dixon line where she promptly lost all tolerance for snow and cold. They decided they'd make beautiful babies together and they got it right on the first try. Now Wren lives happily ever after in the real world and in the worlds of her making, where she creates book boyfriends for the masses to crave.

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Author Interview - Lynn Burke is here to Fulfill you ;)

Say hello to Lynn Burke! She's here this evening to chat about her new release, FINDING FULFILLMENT. We're covering all the important stuff - her favourite genres to write, her favourite scene in the book, and whether she prefers tea or coffee. And after the interview, there's a teaser from FINDING FULFILLMENT for you to sink your teeth into. Enjoy!

Hi, Lynn! Tell us a little bit about your newest release.

Finding Fulfillment is the third installment of my Found by Fate series which follows along with three co-workers. It covers quite the range of subgenres!

Finding Forever, Bad Boy Anthology with Roane Publishing, - Contemporary Erotic, Bondage

Finding Freedom – Menage, MMF

Freedom Found (a free read) – Menage, MMF

Finding Fulfillment – Contemporary Erotic, Spanking, Bondage

Great, so if people fall in love with this book, they know there's more waiting for them! Is there any part of this story you absolutely love, and why?

I loved the scene where Archer does a little test to see if Jade is turned on by him dominating her. Writing a scene of dialogue in present tense of him creating a scene in her mind...so fun!

Sounds steamy...Nice. Do you have a favourite genre to write in?

Not really. I write historical sweet romance and fantasy under my real name, and Lynn enjoys everything from BDSM to Menage with a little MMF on the side.

So leading on from that, are there any genres you haven't tried yet that you really want to?

I’m considering a historical erotic or erotic fantasy, a blend of all of my loves!

Who are your biggest influences – they don't have to just be literary ones!

Roni Loren and Keri Lake. J.R. Gray’s Tumblr acct is a fun one as well. ;)

Now, the hard ball question. Tea or coffee?

Chai tea every morning for me!

I love chai tea! I have a pumpkin chai that's absolutely divine. Apart from writing, what are your great passions in life?

Gardening – a TIME SUCK in spring – and cooking/baking.

So now we know a bit more about Lynn, how about finding out a bit more about FINDING FULFILLMENT? Keep reading!

Wednesday Snippet - Bow your heads and proffer your thanks

I didn't get as much writing done as I'd have liked last week, but I think as the story heads into the third act and I have to start tying all these plot threads together, that's a little inevitable. Still! The good news to take from that is that I am heading into the third act, which means the end is slowly creeping into sight. Huzzahs!