DEER ME —WE INTERRUPT THE NORMALLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM

My apologies, Lori Foster was to be my guest Wednesday, with her fabulous book, Run The Risk, but due to circumstances beyond my control we will have that interview at a later date. 

This is not due to anything on Lori's part but mine. 

See, we had a bit of an accident...

We're entering the most dangerous month when it comes to deer-vehicle accidents due to deer migration along with mating season. 

Drivers usually have a very short span of time to react when a deer darts out in front of our car—as was the case with my husband at dusk Tuesday. He barely caught a flash of fur in his peripheral and although he reacted by braking and moving towards the shoulder of the road, the deer still hit the front left of the Jeep. The others in the herd missed him or he missed them. 

If he hadn't seen the flash the deer would have ended up on the hood and probably through the windshield and who knows where the Jeep would have ended up. 






He’s banged up, the deer walked/limped away with the rest of the group, and the Jeep? Well, it didn't fare as well. Front end doesn't look good, radiator’s shot, he lost two belts when the radiator caved, and the left front tire is damaged. 

Sigh.

And another car bites the dust.

Friday, my guest will be Terry Spear, with her new Jaguar series.

Road Trips, Blizzards, And Truth Stranger Than Fiction

It's my pleasure to have Lori Foster as my guest Over Coffee. I thoroughly enjoy Lori's books. Although I've only recently discovered them and quite by accident.

One day, making a trip with some co-workers to a three day seminar, I realized I left my book at home. The car group stopped at a little mom and pop store that had a small selection of book. A few I had already read, most were authors I hadn't heard of. A book caught my eye by an author I hadn't read before. It was Lori Foster and the book, Too Much Temptation. I read the back cover and thought, wow, this sounds like a fun read. It was. After that I bought several of her back list, like Jude's Law and Murphy's Law. Then I read one of her Mixed Martial Arts books and loved it.

I'll admit it, I'm hooked and I'm really looking forward to Drew's story (excerpt link below).


Like most authors, I sometimes need a break from writing. Not often, because whenever I’m away from writing too long, I start to get antsy. Usually, even when upsetting things happen, my writing is my escape, my entertainment.

But losing my dad... that was a blow. He passed away on the 11th, and I’ve been struggling with writing ever since. I did manage to finish my last single title not too far behind the deadline. But then I was supposed to do a novella that is now late. (It was originally due Feb 1st!)

So anyway, hubby and I decided on an impromptu trip to Tennessee to look at gorgeous lakefront vacation property. Usually a short road trip will rejuvenate me and I get back ready to leap into a story. This time, I came back exhausted!

See, we blundered into one of the worst winter storms Tennessee has ever had! It didn’t really hit until we’d cleared Ohio and Kentucky – two states that know how to deal with snow. We had already travelled too far to turn back, so we pushed on – past a lot of semi tractor-trailers that were overturned, in a ditch, upside down and demolished, past several police cars that had slid off the road, past numerous cars that had spun out of control – too many to even keep count – and past a horrifying accident that involved an ambulance upside down in a ravine. We said a quick prayer that the ambulance hadn’t already been carrying an injured person.

It was a harrowing ride – what should have taken 6 hours ended up being almost 9. Given the pile-up of snow on either side of the road, there was only enough room for one vehicle. You couldn’t see the exits even if you wanted to take one, so forget potty breaks. The wiper blades kept freezing over, meaning we could barely see out of the windshield. Hubby drove hunched over the steering wheel, holding it in a death grip.

When we did finally reach the hotel, it was all but buried so we had to plow our way into the parking lot, and then got snowy to our knees getting in the door.

As I took my two little Chihuahuas in and hubby was unloading, we realized we’d forgotten the suitcase holding our clothes.

We had the bag with our shower supplies, my hair stuff (brushes and blow dryer) and make up, and a mostly-eaten bag of snacks. We had several other bags filled with things that my doggies needed. THEY were set, with their cushy bed, their leashes, their food, water bowl, medicine, blankets, a variety of treats, etc...

Of course, once at the hotel, we weren’t about to head back out in search of food or clothes. The room was awesome, but I was uncomfortable and hungry and I wanted clean socks! Thank heavens the internet worked! I’d have gone bonkers if I had to do without that, on top of not eating and not having cozy PJs.

Everything was so snowed-under, that even that next morning we couldn’t get out to see the vacation property. The roads were all but shut down, and you can imagine that roads surrounding new building sites near a lake sure wouldn’t have been a priority for road crews.

Totally bummed, we ate a wonderful breakfast supplied by the hotel, and then headed back home. It was again rough travel until we hit Kentucky, then smooth sailing. But along the way... I got a neat plot idea! See, that novella I have to start is all about spring break and flings and I can’t think of a better way to get things going than to have my couple get sidetracked by a snowstorm when they’re expecting sandy beaches. Heaven knows, I’ll have plenty of experience now to pull from! Every complaint you just heard from me will be in that story!

So now you know, much of what’s in my books is complete and total fiction, but every so often, some of it is based in fact! I’m not going to tell all of the “real” parts, but this time, I don’t mind sharing. LOL.

• Do you use real experiences in your writing?
• How much ofreal life goes into YOUR writing?
  
  
  
  Back Cover Blurb:

SBC president Drew Black is as controversial as they come. But the hot-headed entrepreneur is a perfect match for his popular sports club venture: uncompromising and extreme. Maybe too extreme. With a reputation for saying what he thinks, Drew's been causing a lot of friction. That's why someone's been called in to clean up his image—before he does any permanent damage.

The lucky lady is Gillian Noode, a PR expert who's smoothed out the rough edges on many a man. But Drew is rougher than anyone she's ever met, and he refuses to change for any woman, for any reason. To make matters more complicated, Gillian's starting to like him raw. Now, opposites aren't only attracting, they're igniting. But in the rising heat, which one of them will end up on top?

First Chapter Excerpt


Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has routinely had 6 to 10 releases a year and has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martins, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain. She is currently with Berkley/Jove.

Lori believes it’s important to back to the community as much as possible, and for that reason she ran special contests in conjunction with a publisher, facilitating many first sales for new authors. She routinely organizes events among authors and readers to gather donations for various organizations.

Along with her good friend, Dianne Castell, Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester Ohio. Proceeds from the event go to benefit worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, and The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy.

In 2007, Lori put together “The Write Ingredients” a cookbook of recipes donated by popular authors. Proceeds from the cookbook go toward Lori’s ongoing “Troop project” of collecting and mailing fun, and sometimes necessary items to our troops.

In 2008, Lori coordinated eleven other authors of her choosing, and through Berkley, arranged for the publication of a special anthology of novellas about empowering women. Proceeds from the anthology will go to the Battered women’s shelter.

In 2009, another anthology with Lori and a new set of authors will be published with proceeds to benefit The Animal Adoption Foundation.

Stop by Lori's website for the lastest from LL Foster and Lori Foster

Chat with the authors of Real Men Last ALL Night

My guests today, are three special and talented ladies. Lori Foster, Cheyenne McCray, and Heidi Betts. I’ve read and enjoyed their books. Each write wonderful books but they also have written an anthology, along with Lora Leigh, Real Men Last All Night. The title made me laugh because it sounds like something said among women. The cover is oh-la-la.

I’ve never written an anthology, although I’ve read many. A couple of my favorites were when the authors wrote connected stories, shared characters, and related plots. Not all anthologies do that. Some are merely themes where the authors contribute a story.

I had the opportunity to chat with Lori, Chey and Heidi about their anthology and what we can expect from them in the future. Being the curious person I am, I had several questions, which they were gracious enough to answer. And we also get a peek at the covers of their next releases and a bit about the book.

• Many don’t have a clue as to how anthologies comes about. Could you share a bit about the process? How you get the assignment. Do you get to choose the authors you work with? Or are you just assigned a theme to work with?
  

Lori: For “Real Men,” my story is a reissued story written long ago. St. Martin’s owns 2 novellas from me, and they can pretty much do whatever they want with them. My story is “Luring Lucy,” originally published in the “Hot and Bothered” anthology.

In most anthologies, though, even with new stories, the publisher is the one who decides the authors who will be involved. Each individual author is made a contract offer for the story she’ll contribute.

Heidi: There are some multi-author anthologies that have intertwined stories & plots, but in the case of REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT, it was simply a matter of the editor calling & inviting us all to participate. We were pretty much given free rein over our stories, too, being told only that they wanted very strong, Alpha heroes & super-sexy love scenes...but plot & setting & everything else was left to the individual author, as far as I know. I don't think authors are given a choice of who they're going to work with very often when it comes to anthologies, but in this instance I can honestly say that I couldn't have gotten any luckier if I *had* been able to hand-pick my antho-mates. :-D

Chey: Thank you for having me, Sia! In our case, we were just given a theme, which needed to be contemporary and erotic. Sometimes authors do work together in an anthology, but must of the time the publisher provides a theme and we each run with it.

Lori: In MOST cases, the authors do not work together on their stories. They’re simply given a theme – such as a holiday or season theme. Then each author writes her story individually and turns it into the publisher.

• Each of you writes romance. I know a couple of you write in the para subgenre, like Chey and Lori. Is Real Men Last All Night, strictly contemporary romance?
  

Lori: My story is straight contemporary romance.

Heidi: Short answer? Yes. :-)

Chey: I now write suspense with romantic elements and urban fantasy with romantic elements. My urban fantasy is called the "Night Tracker" novels I do have a romantic suspense series also. In the past I wrote only urban paranormal romance and romantic suspense. My piece in RMLAN is romantic suspense, loosely tied to my suspense series, the "Lexi Steele" novels.

• Did you know the Title of this anthology would be called Real Men Last All Night? What was the most fun part of writing this anthology?
  

Lori: Um... yeah. I was told early on what the title would be. Gotta say I’m not crazy about it. LOL. It’s too over the top for my tastes. That said, I’m honored to be in an anthology with the other talented authors. Since my story isn’t new, I can’t really speak on writing for the anthology – but I can say that, through the anthology, I got to know Heidi Betts better and I like her very, very much!

Heidi: Actually, it was originally supposed to be called "I Need a Real Man," but I like REAL MEN LAST ALL NIGHT much, much better, don't you? ;-)

Chey: The title changed a couple of times, but we knew what the theme was! The most fun for me was the two characters. The heroine, Willow, is one of my favorite heroines ever. She was so much fun to write, but truly just wrote herself. I enjoyed the dynamics between the characters, too.

Heidi: The thing that I enjoyed most about writing my novella for this anthology was being able to stretch my writing wings & step out of my comfort zone a bit. I've written passionate, sensual stories for Silhouette Desire & my "Chicks with Sticks" knitting trilogy for St. Martin's Press is very sexy, but also very *funny*...so it was nice to do something a bit more serious, to do a law enforcement hero with an edge, etc.

• Each of you writes some pretty hot and sexy stories. How do you define sexy? Is it the way a person moves or acts, his eyes, the way he talks, or perhaps his humor?
  

Lori: For me, it’s the connection between the hero and heroine. It’s the attention they give to one another, the small things they notice and how they react to each other. The story can be explicit or not, but when that sexual chemistry is there, it’s there!

Heidi: I suspect that the definition of sexy is probably different for everyone. Personally, I find a guy who loves animals & babies pretty irresistible. A man who doesn't mind playing Mr. Fix-it so I don't have to call in reinforcements is nice. A good sense of humor is definitely a plus. And I never complain about strong biceps & rock hard abs. *g*

Chey: Sexy depends on the story and the characters. They have their own personalities and dynamics. I don't force the sex, it needs to come naturally and the way these two characters would come together.

• I know each of you have a new book due out this month. Could you tell us a little bit about the premise and the characters? And when can I buy it?
  

Lori: For August, I have two new novellas in “OUT OF THE LIGHT, INTO THE SHADOW.” The idea is that Erin McCarthy and I each have written a straight contemporary romance novella (mine as Lori Foster) that ties in with a darker, edgier paranormal romance novella (mine as L.L.Foster.) Each story is a romance, but with different tones to show how we write in each style.

My two novellas are connected by siblings. The straight contemporary is Mercy Jardine’s story, and the darker paranormal is about her brother, Brax Jardine. Both are, imo, very sexy, but I hope they’re also fun and romantic. You can read excerpts or see video trailers at www.llfoster.com

Heidi: I am *very* excited about my August release, LOVES ME, LOVES ME KNOT. It's the second book in my "Chicks with Sticks" knitting romance trilogy & revisits the relationship between Gage Marshall & Jenna Langan from TANGLED UP IN LOVE. http://heidibetts.com/

Chey: THE SECOND BETRAYAL comes out Tuesday, August 4th.
As an undercover agent for the NSA’s Recovery Enforcement Division, Alexi Steele is no stranger to the ways and means of the country’s most notorious sex criminals. Still, she’s never seen anything quite like this. Girls from across the globe are being recruited for a modeling competition in New York City, only to end up as enslaved prostitutes. Now it’s up to Lexi and her partner—and lover—Nicholas Donovan to infiltrate the operation.

Finding the mastermind behind the sex trafficking is only one half of the challenge. The other is Nick. Even though she has always trusted him, Lexi can’t help but wonder whether he’s keeping something from her—a shocking secret from his past on the Special Forces unit. Meanwhile, time is running out for the victims…and Lexi may be forced to do the unthinkable to see that the job is done. http://cheyennemccray.com/

• Finally, you’re all accomplished and well-read authors. What advice you would offer an aspiring author today?
  

Lori: First, write what you enjoy writing. Your enthusiasm will show through and win over readers. Trying to follow a trend that you aren’t into rarely works. Second, remember that this is a mega-harsh biz. No matter how good you might be or how hard you try, the variety of responses will vary, and will not always be favorable. There will be brutal reviews, snarky commentators, and candid readers. Don’t ever let it get to you too much. It’s all part and parcel of the industry and no one is immune to the criticism.

Heidi: This soon after National, I'm not sure I have any lucid advice to offer. I guess I would have to say that aspiring writers should be really sure they actually want a career in writing, because it's not nearly as glamorous on this side of things as it might seem. (It's a job, just like any other, with ups & downs & plenty of hard work. :-P) Aside from that, I recommend that people really study the genre they're interested in & hone their craft as much as possible.

Chey: Learn the craft by reading books on writing and attending workshops either online or in person and join writing groups relating to your genre. Read everything you can in the genre you want to write in. When writing your book, don't go back and self-edit, continue to write until you reach "the end"--you can't fix something that isn't written! There will be things you want to change on the way, but just notate them--I put notes to myself in the doc as I go and then I go back and fix or insert things when I'm done. Do something writing related every single day to get in the habit, no matter how small it is. It will get you into such a good habit of writing that it will become easier and easier. Most importantly, never give up on your dream.

• Lori, I loved My Man Michael. When is your next single title romance out, and what’s it about?
  

BACK IN BLACK will hit stands in February 2010. It’s another SBC fighter book, this time about Drew Black. BC president Drew Black is as controversial as they come. But the hot-headed entrepreneur is a perfect match for his popular sports club venture: uncompromising and extreme. Maybe too extreme. With a reputation for saying what he thinks, Drew's been causing a lot of friction. That's why someone's been called in to clean up his image—before he does any permanent damage.

The lucky lady is Gillian Noode, a PR expert who's smoothed out the rough edges on many a man. But Drew is rougher than anyone she's ever met, and he refuses to change for any woman, for any reason. To make matters more complicated, Gillian's starting to like him raw. Now, opposites aren't only attracting, they're igniting. But in the rising heat, which one of them will end up on top?

Drew was a lot of fun to write – I hope readers enjoy his story!

• Ladies, thank you so much for visiting with us, Over Coffee and answering questions. I appreciate the hard work you do and taking time out of your busy schedules to be here!