Candy Ready

Candy: Tell us your latest news. Inquiring minds want to know.

Vivi: I haven’t gotten any big news lately. Fingers crossed though…I have a couple fires banking…

The only good news I have is the awesome reviews I’ve been getting on my latest book VEILED TRUTH, book 3 in the Valorian Chronicles.

Romantic Times magazine gave it an RT TOP PICK for October. I’m thrilled by that.

Candy: Congratz on the RT Top Pick!!! I’m thrilled for you! And cool about the fantastic reviews on VEILED TRUTH. I’ve read it, and it is fabulous! And please, let us know on candyready.com when you have news about those projects! When and why did you begin writing? And why erotic romance?

Vivi: I began seriously writing in probably 2000. I had started taking a writing correspondence course when I was pregnant in 1998, but didn’t do much with it; I think I finished maybe 2 or 3 of the assignments. It was my tutor, Michael Crawley that made a difference. He encouraged me to write erotic. He said I had a knack for it.

After some turmoil in my life, I had to start all over again from scratch as it were, with a newborn in tow, so I was looking for ways to make money quickly. Michael told me about some magazines that were looking for short erotic stories. So I started writing and submitting. The first story I ever sold was to Playgirl. I sold a couple of more to them, and to other men’s magazines. They paid pretty well, but I wanted to expand my repertoire and my vocabulary (tee-hee) so I started writing longer, and eventually found my way into epublishing.

Candy: Thank God for Michael Crawley. What a fabulous mentor he was! And awesome about your start with Playgirl. What inspired you to write your first book?

Vivi: My first ‘book’, which was around 45K, was called Blood Red and I was inspired to write that from fairy tales. I loved taking those beloved tales from my childhood and really *&^%ing them up, adding all kinds of crazy stuff. That first book sold to Extasy back in 2004. It is being re-released, after being rewritten, by Ellora’s Cave under the title In the Company of Wolves, in 2009.

Candy: Fairy tales!! Interesting! We’ll be looking out for the re-release at Ellora’s Cave! Who or what has influenced your writing?

Vivi: Movies, graphic novels, and comic books influence my writing. When I write I SEE the book and that’s how I like to write it down, as if I’m viewing it.

Stephen King has also been a huge influence on me. I started reading his books when I was 12 and I’ve read everything he’s ever written, the good, the bad, and the brilliant. I think he’s a genius. I mean, hello? The Dark Tower series, the Green Mile, Eyes of the Dragon…

Candy: Ooh, yes, I love Steven King too! He is the Master! What is your writing environment like? How often do you write/how long?

Vivi: My writing environment is a befuddled mess and for some reason that works for me. I write on my PC at my incredibly messy desk and it seems to flow all right. I also use a NEO, when I’m away from home.

I usually write 4-5 hours five days a week, every week. I have to keep a tight schedule. If I go too long without writing, I can’t get back to it easily.

Candy: Okay, that tight schedule is something I have to do! Thanks for the tip!!! Because you’re right; it’s hard to get back into a book once I’ve put it aside! How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Vivi: I think how I grew up totally colors my writing, with the language I use and the themes that are prevalent in my books. I grew up middle class, in a small town. But I was a major rebellious teenager and I got into A LOT of trouble. I did a bunch of stuff, experienced stuff, and saw stuff that an average person probably will never know, but I learned and grew from my experiences.

Candy: Wow, Vivi, you have a lot to draw on, then, and I love how you can now draw on those experiences with your emotions–you do it so well! Do you have a specific writing style?

Vivi: Definitely. I don’t know if I can define it, but its there. A reviewer once told me that my voice was STRONG, with capital letters. When asked what word she would use to describe it, she said POWER. I tend to write shorter sentences with a lot of action scenes and dialogue. I’m not a fan of back-story and describing the setting, so I use as few words as possible to set the stage…I try to use the most evocative words I can find.

Candy: Yes, that describes you exactly! You are good at finding those strong words! What is your most recent novel? Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Vivi: My most recent novel is VEILED TRUTH. Is there a message? I don’t know. Maybe. 99% of my books are about redemption. So that’s in there for sure. That we can all atone for our past sins and be different people, better people, in the future.

Candy: I love that message! It’s so true!!! What books have most influenced your life?

Vivi: Hmm, most of Stephen King’s books, Watchers by Dean Koontz, Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts, Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes, Ill Wind by Rachel Caine, Something From the Nightside by Simon Green, 1984 by George Orwell, The Giver by Lois Lowry, Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop, Second Son Trilogy by Jennifer Fallon.

Candy: Interesting! Now I have my reading cut out for me! LOL! If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor or icon?

Vivi: Icon – definitely Stephen King, also lately Kim Harrison, and Rachel Caine

Candy: What book are you reading now?

Vivi: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. It’s an urban fantasy YA. And I’m loving it. It’s dark and twisted and fun. I don’t know what it is about YA but I’m really enjoying the genre. I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Candy: Okay, I’ve missed doing my male hunk search!

Cameron Alborzian

Hi, everyone! I have to say I had a blast this week! Thanks Sasha, for doing this with us. And thanks, everyone, for making this so much fun! It wouldn’t work without you guys! 

I used the Randomizer and came up with a name! And the winner is . . . drumroll, please . . . 

Drumroll, Please

 . . . Cathy M!!!! I’m tickled pink for you, Cathy! Congratz!!! Please email me at candy@candyready.com and tell me your street address so that I can give Sasha the info on where to send you autographed copy! Again, mega congratulations!

Berkley Trade
ISBN-10: 042522340X
ISBN-13: 978-0425223406
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: September 2, 2008

READ AN EXCERPT

ORDER NOW at
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“MY PREROGATIVE is the perfect title to explore this intense tale of a naughty woman seeking love, but refusing to settle for the wrong man in her life… Ms. White grasped the concept of a woman’s needs and weaved a wonderful tale of realization. MY PREROGATIVE is an insightful and thought provoking page turner that I know you’ll enjoy.” —NightOwl Romance

4 STARS! “With her newest erotic romance, White proves again that she’s a force to be reckoned with. It continues White’s tales of love and lust in Vancouver. In Kelsey, the author has created a mature, fully developed character who is unapologetic about her sexuality and desires but is vulnerable in her desire to find a soul mate. While this book is a stand-alone, it is loosely related to White’s previous titles Bound, Trouble and Wicked.” — RT BOOKreviews

“Sasha White keeps her characters real and her storyline true with plenty of hot-n-steamy, I-need-a-fan kind of relationships. Her books are always fun and exciting, and this one is no different. I loved it!!” —Fresh Fiction.com

“Watching Kelsey go from throwing men away like used tissues to falling (against her will) for a strong hero like Harlan was a joy to read. I liked MY PREROGATIVE because it wasn’t your typical love story. There was no boy meets girl here; it was boy watches girl from afar and voyeuristic girl loves it! If you like erotic romance that’s not afraid to take a few risks, you’ll love MY PREROGATIVE.” —RomanceJunkies.com

She does what she likes…
…and what she likes is absolutely wicked.

Kelsey Howard is happy with the single life. She has great friends, a fun job tending bar, and a nice apartment. Not to mention the freedom to enjoy a few wild sex games with strangers—the riskier the better. But what she’s really looking for in the darkness is love.

Then Kelsey realizes she’s got an annonymous stranger watching her every move—and every move she makes is arousing them both. In fact, not only is she not scared, she thinks she may have finally found her soul mate. Especially when she meets the mischievous mystery man in the flesh. That’s when the fun and games really start, and Kelsey realizes just how far she’s prepared to go for love.

Excerpt

Chapter 1

There are few things more enjoyable than lying naked on a sandy beach under a hot sun. Especially in a foreign country where no one knows me and I’m free do whatever, and whomever, I want.

Kelsey Howard, footloose and fancy free, answerable to no one. That was me.

Being single and adventurous made me the envy of many, and I had to admit, there were times when even I thought my life was blessed.

Cute as a kid, pretty as a girl, and then beautiful as a woman.
I do believe people see that when they look at me. I have to believe it, I’ve heard it my whole life. And on some days, I can even look in the mirror and see it. The problem is that I don’t always feel that way. I have a hole inside that needs to be filled, and despite the fact that I know filling it with food, drinks, and casual sex isn’t good, or smart . . . I still do it. I can’t stop myself. It’s the only way I know to fill that emptiness.

So really? Is it wrong if it makes me feel better? Even if it’s just for a little while?

Rising up a bit from my supine position on the beach, my elbows dug comfortably into the sand. I lounged in the heat of the Mediterranean sun and tracked the approach of my companion from behind dark sunglasses. Nope, nothing wrong with it at all.

Ocean water glistened over his bulging muscles as they rippled with every move he made. Hair slicked back and eyes intent on me, he prowled up the beach. Yeah, he was definitely prowling, and I was woman enough to appreciate it.

One of the few things I enjoy in life more than lying on a beach is lying under a well-built man. Both at once was a fantasy I was determined to finally have come true.

Marco was his name, and I’d met him at the hotel bar on my second night here. The all-inclusive resort we were at encouraged hedonistic behavior and after the first night spent watching everyone let loose, I was more than ready for my own sensual adventure. I’d almost given up hope of finding someone I could click with when he’d introduced himself and the sparks flew. Marco had proven to be very adventurous himself - a wonderful choice for my holiday fling.

I took a pull of tequila from the bottle I’d grabbed from the room’s mini-bar and a familiar tingle awoke low in my belly. Marco drew closer and I spread my legs a little wider, knowing he wouldn’t be able to avoid the temptation I presented.

Sure enough, hunger sparked in his dark eyes and he dropped to his knees at my feet. Large masculine hands cupped my bent knees and slid up my thighs, sending more tingles through my system.

“Hello there, stranger,” I said softly.

His teeth flashed in a predatory smile and he began crawling up and over my body until his mouth hovered over mine. “You look good enough to eat,” he said.

I looked to the left and saw no one, and then to the right. There was a couple about fifty yards down the beach, roasting themselves on a blanket and minding their own business, so I lifted my arms and pulled him down on top of me. “So what’s stopping you?”

He chuckled and kissed me hungrily. He tasted faintly of tequila and saltwater from the ocean, so I opened up and enjoyed the way our tongues rubbed together. The cool friction heated my blood and made my sex clench in anticipation. The nude beach we were on was part of the private resort where anything goes, and in that instant I made the decision to live up to my reputation as a wild child and enjoy every second of it.

I tilted my head back, and Marco took the hint, nuzzling his way down my neck. The sound of waves rhythmically lapping at the shore became an erotic symphony as he cupped my breasts and flicked the jeweled hoops there back and forth.

“So pretty,” he crooned. He wrapped his lips around one nipple and sucked hard, his tongue pulling at the

piercing.

“Harder,” I urged him. A little pain always heightened the pleasure.

He complied and my hips jerked in response. Yes.

I slid my hands into his hair and nudged him lower. Eager to please, Marco slithered down my body until his talented mouth was hovering over my greedy cunt. His hands cupped my ass, lifting me as his tongue came out and flicked the jeweled hoop that pierced the protective hood of my clit. A sigh of pleasure slipped from between my lips and I pressed him closer.

Sometimes fantasies do come true.

Question: Do you think you would feel freer having sex with a good looking stranger if you went on a vacation by yourself on the Mediterranean?

Marios Lekkas

Candy: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

Sasha: My boss Danielle Hoffman. She was my boss at a restaurant /lounge I worked at for a few years, and she was a big supporter of my writing. Always reading my stuff, and giving me time off for deadlines, coming to book signings. She’s a dear friend who often inspired me.

Candy: What a wonderful friend, Sasha! If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Sasha: I won’t even think about that. That’s a terrible question! LOL

I try never to look back, because I can’t change anything, so why think about it?

Candy: LOL! My bad!! Take it from a curious unpublished author, and I shudder to think of my future published mistakes! Next, Sasha, is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Sasha: Other than sitting in front of a computer for 12-18 hours a day? Nope. *grin*

Candy: 12-18 hours?!? Yeah, you said it, girl! That goes without saying! I would be a zombie! lol! Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Sasha: I can’t really claim one favorite author. I have many…and the one thing they all share is a strong voice, and unique characters. Things I strive to provide in my own stories.

Candy: Fair enough! How do you get your story ideas? Can you give an example, or tell us how you came up with your idea for your latest release?

Sasha: I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.

Candy: Whoa, is my life in danger here? (I have an image in my mind of Michael Caine’s face when he asks that in Miss Congeniality). Now I’m wondering what kind of life and death situations you faced in your years of traveling the world as a bartender! Okay, what was your most craziest or interesting or unusual experience you’ve had while researching a book or while promoting a book?

Sasha: I went to a BDSM convention. LOL I don’t think they’d call it that, but it’s what I called it. It was a weekend in a hotel with workshops on all aspects of BDSM form bondage techniques to the law. I went while I was writing WICKED, as Karl, the hero was a lifestyle Dominant, and I wanted what his thoughts, and his actions, to be realistic.

It was crazy and very interesting. I actually am still friends with a few of the people I met there who helped with my research.

Candy: Okay, girl, you’re going to have to tell me more on how you even found out about a convention like that, and what the real name of it was! That’s something I want to do!!! Have the things that happened to your characters ever happened to you? (I know you haven’t been bitten by a hottie vamp or anything—a girl can dream!—but something that impressed you that you tweaked in your story?)

Sasha: Well, I’ve never had vamp character, or a character bitten by a vamp..so I can say for sure no to that. LOL But I will say yes, some of the other things are definitely from my own experience, and some are from my fantasies..and some are just things my characters come up with.

Candy: I wonder if we can get you to elaborate on that? What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Sasha: Writing it.

Seriously, for me the hardest part is planting my ass in the chair and putting the words on the paper. But it can also be the best thing.

Candy: That is too true! Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Sasha: Thank you for reading.

Candy: Thanks so much for your time, Sasha! I enjoyed getting to know you better! And here is a picture of a hottie, for everyone’s pleasure, of Alex Brokke from Aruba!

Candy: Tell us your latest news. Inquiring minds want to know.

Sasha: Well, obviously I want to mention my Sept 2^nd release MY PREROGATIVE.  It’s been getting amazing reviews and I’m delighted with the reader response.  

Other than that, I’m just living life.  Enjoying time with friends and family, playing with my camera and refilling the creative well for a while.  No big news at all.

Candy: Congratz, Sasha, on all the rave reviews! I can’t wait to read it!!! When and why did you begin writing? And why erotic romance?

Sasha: When I was in  my mid twenties I’d hoped to find a way to get paid to travel the world. Traveling is a passion, a thrill and an addiction of mine. However, I found very quickly that freelance travel stories don’t really sell. Not mine anyway. So I kept bartending, and kept traveling, and occasionally I’d write a piece for student travel magazines and backpackers periodicals, as well as for enjoyment.

It was years later when I decided I was 32 years old, and tired of depending on tips to pay my bills.  I began writing almost 6 years ago because I wanted to find a different career than waitressing/bartending.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that job, but it’s one that can cause burnout very easily.  And there are times when I start to hate everyone…so I was looking for something more solitary, and something I could build as a career. 

This time I went with another passion of mine ~ Erotica. Letting my imagination run wild and free has worked out very well for me. I still get the urge to write travel bits every now and then, but now I tend to include my locations in my erotic stories. My short story HOT AND HARD in the Wicked Words 8 collection takes place in South Africa, and MEANDROS takes place in Greece.

Candy: Wow, what a fascinating life you’ve had, Sasha! I envy/admire your brave, bold determination to travel like that alone, and bartender. You are a woman of my dreams because I love traveling too!!! Now that you are being more solitary, what is your writing environment like? How often do you write/how long?

Sasha: I have a Laptop, a desktop, and a NEO, and I use them all when writing. I sometimes it a desk in my home office, and I sometimes sit on the sofa, at the kitchen table, or my bed, or even in a restaurant.  I don’t really have a standard writing environment.

As for how often I write…well….I’m a binge writer.  I tend to do no, or very little writing, most of the time, then cram writing a  full novel into a month (Or less sometimes) It’s certainly not a healthy way to write, but it works for me.  I find it helps me immerse myself in the story, and then the story flows easier for me.  If I try to write a bit every day, I get too bogged down in finding the perfect word, and editing editing and reediting things until I completely hate them.    I compare it to cramming for finals. LOL

Candy: LOL!!! I’ll have to try binge writing! Because I tend to do the same thing, trying to find the right words. I wonder if it’s because writing every day gives us a sense of lots of time. Okay, Sasha, how has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Sasha: I’ve never thought about it, but probably in the way my characters often move around at lot, or have very loose ties to their family.  I’m close to my immediate family, but despite being Italian and Irish, I’m not super close to my extended family.  And we moved around a lot when I was growing up, so my stories take place all over.

Candy: Italian and Irish–how fascinating! Do you have a specific writing style?

Sasha: I think that’s something my readers could answer better than me.

Candy: OK, readers — anybody care to describe Sasha’s style? What makes her unique? Next question for Sasha: What book are you reading now?

Sasha: I just finished Strangers In Death by JD Robb and Gabriel’s Horn by Alex Archer.

Candy: What are your current projects?

Sasha: Nothing.  I am currently taking a break from writing anything new. I’ve got edits and galleys for MOST WANTED my June/09 Aphrodisia release, And promotions for releases coming out in Oct and December of this year to work on. Plus promotion for MY PREROGATIVE.  

Candy–More to come tomorrow! In the meantime, feast your eyes… 

(Note from Candy: I just had to share this article with you from Ashlyn. She is such an inspiration to me!!!)

By Ashlyn Chase

If it weren’t for positive thinking and belief in myself, I’d never have become a published author. In the beginning, no one believed in me but me. My husband thought this was another silly pipe dream. My daughter just rolled her eyes and asked that I not tell her friends. My mother-in-law begged me to take a pen name. I could have let that stop me. I didn’t.

Most of us know we need to “think positive.” Our thinking influences how we feel and in turn what decisions and actions we might lean toward. But what do you when you need positive thinking the most and so many negatives things come at you, it’s hard to do? Are you at the mercy of outside influences? Unless threatened, you’re not.

Think about the people who have nothing and are still happy, or those who have had so many obstacles to overcome that life seems completely unfair yet they continue on. What keeps them going?

For one thing, looking at the glass half full rather than obsessing about the glass half empty and leaking. There’s nothing like gratitude for what you have. When my husband gave me one year to get published, I panicked. I knew it was impossible and I made sure he knew he was being unreasonable. But I made myself be grateful for that year. This is called “reframing.” And I worked my tail off that year. I read everything I could get my hands on to improve my craft, I wrote daily, asked for brutal critiques and was grateful when I received them. On the very day the year was up, I received news that I had been offered a contract.

There is nothing like that “Ha ha, I did it and you doubted me” feeling. By that time, my husband had reconsidered and become a fan so I never said it out loud, still… (I told you I could, I KNEW I could, and I DID!) Ha, ha.

I had such an awesome time this week with Ash and with all of you who participated. You guys are fantastic!!! Such lively conversations, which made me really enjoy everyone!

OK, once again I used the Research Randomizer to come up with a winner for Ashlyn’s book, Love Cuffs. I counted all the comments to use as my range. And the lucky winner is . . .

Drumroll, Please

. . . Mon!ca!!!! Congratz, girlfriend!!!! I’m so happy for you!

Thanks again, everyone, for the marvelous week!

Buono,

Candy

PG-13 excerpt
We strolled down the hall past some insurance office to a door marked Ds Enterprises. “How subtle.”
“I like it,” he said. He unlocked the door and ushered me inside. “Juliet should have dropped off some new clothes for you by now.” He pointed to a large shopping bag on the black leather couch and said, “Ah. There they are.”
As soon as he’d double and triple locked the door behind us, he unlocked my wrist cuff and I can’t tell you how good it felt. I rubbed the soreness out, even before diving into the bag to see what Santa had brought. Okay, so I’m Jewish and shouldn’t refer to Santa. But let me tell you, if the old man accidentally mixed up the addresses and mistook me for some girl on his nice list, I wouldn’t have minded or given back the presents.
The first thing I pulled out of the bag floored me. A powder blue vinyl dress—with the boobs cut out! I twisted it around to see the back and saw two matching low holes for the derriere. “Are you kidding me?”
Dorian had been headed for his massive safe but whirled around to see what my indignant cry was about. I held up the micro-mini Swiss cheese dress.
“What the hell?” His mouth hung open as he rushed to the couch and dumped the bag upside down. Out poured the most inappropriate pile of crap I’d ever seen. One black stretch jumpsuit sported a few strategically placed gold zippers, the most prominent of which came with a heart-shaped padlock at the top of the crotch. Must have been a chastity bodysuit. Another micro-mini dress had been fashioned of some material with as much coverage as a dyed spider web. Then, to add injury to insult, a pair of bright red spike heels so high they’d stand me up on my tiptoes.
Santa must have mixed me up with a girl on his naughty list. “Hmmm, these leave little to the imagination,” I said. “Either, A, Juliet thinks I have such a great body I ought to show it off or B, she hates me. I’m pretty sure the answer is B.”
Dorian still gaped as if he couldn’t believe anyone might be passive-aggressive enough to deliberately misunderstand his orders. “How the hell am I supposed to get you on a plane in one of these?”
I shrugged. Anything I had to say would have been redundant. (more…)

Love Cuffs
Ashlyn Chase
Dalton Diaz

At thirty-eight, Hope Daniels is a Jersey cop with superhuman hearing, a controlling mother, and she’s about to marry any sane woman’s last choice of a groom. Right before she walks down the aisle, she hears distant screams. Figuring someone should be rescued, she bolts from her mother’s vision of a royal wedding. But when she busts down the door of a BDSM club, she’s the one who winds up in handcuffs.

Dorian Markoff is intent on using a hypnotist to wipe the beautiful cop’s mind of his—and his club’s—existence. But the hypnotist is in Vegas so a mad romp ensues, involving lots of hot vanilla-ish sex that turns his BDSM lifestyle upside down.

Neither guesses what an adventure it will be to find the hypnotist, avoid one unintentionally snubbed Dominatrix, and explain it all to Hope’s mother.

All while falling in love.

Excerpt- PG 13
“Time to get out, lover,” Dorian said.

That damn, suede-soft voice of his turned me on all over again. What was wrong with me? Was I a nympho? I just wanted to jump his bones at every turn. As he opened his car door and got out, the drag on my arm reminded me that I had to scoot over to his side—either that or pull my cuffed arm out of its socket.

“Haven’t you ever enjoyed the feeling of allowing your lover some freedom, knowing they’ll stay because they want to—not because they have to?”

A look of surprise crossed his face. “Are you saying you’d stay with me because you want to?”

“No. Just curious.”

He humphed—if that’s a word. At any rate he made a noise that sounded like disappointment.

I probably should have minded my own business, because after that he towed me a little roughly up to the front door of a well-hidden home. As Ivan unlocked it, he said, “Welcome to my hillside hacienda.”

Holy Shit. As we entered the main home from the foyer, a large open floor plan revealed the size of the place. Travertine stone floors and one wall of solid rock gave it a semi cave-like feel. Some hacienda! Were all Doms stinkin’ rich cavemen? The opposite wall of glass looked out over millions of glittering lights that could only be Sin City at night. If I had to be held hostage, this beat the heck out of a grubby warehouse.

“Thanks, man.” Dorian clapped his friend on the shoulder and waited for him to set the alarm.

As I think I’ve said before, patience isn’t one of my virtues. Hell, even virtue isn’t one of my virtues. “So, asshole, are you going to unhook us now, or what?” (more…)