Go Down Under with Alexis Fleming and Win A Copy of Honey Trap

Today we’re talking to Alexis Fleming, Aussie author, and contributor to the Going Down Under series at Ellora’s Cave.  Her book, Honey Trap, was released just this morning.  Because of time differences, it’s going to be about 1pm MST before Alexis will be up and about and returning comments, but she will pop in and chat back as soon as it’s tomorrow in Oz.  (The date line makes time travel possible for Australians.)

As per the new policy, I’m holding comments open until midnight, November 7, when one will be selected to win a copy of Honey Trap.

Let’s get to know Alexis.

——–

Who are your favourite authors at Ellora’s Cave?

Oh wow, unfair question. Lol

I can’t pick a favourite. There are just too many great authors at Ellora’s Cave. I can tell you some of the ones I like reading. For example, Ann Cory, Joey W. Hill, Denise Agnew, Lacey Alexander, Cricket Starr, Jan Springer, Ciana Stone, Kate Hill, Kate Steele, Ashlyn Chase… Um, how long have we got for this section?

What is your favourite novel cover?

Once again, too many to choose from. I tend to be of the opinion that less is more when it comes to covers. I like covers that are understated with not a lot of clutter in the background. I like covers that let me, the reader, imagine what the hero/heroine looks like. No fully naked bodies, but a bare male chest or back? Now that can be very sexy. Shelley Laurenston’s Magnus Heat is a good example.

What’s the best Hero Moment you’ve ever seen in film?

We run a busy motel and my day starts at 5.30 in the morning, and during the high season, ends at 11 at night when we close the doors to reception. So I don’t have a lot of time for watching television, let alone movies. I can’t remember the last movie I watched all the way through. When I do have free time, I hit the computer.

What reading device do you use for reading ebooks on?

I have a 12 inch laptop I use exclusively for travelling or reading ebooks. Of course, if I’m too lazy to load the books onto the laptop, I just read on my desktop.

Your favourite romantic suspense author?

Hard to name a favourite but I’ll never pass up anything by Allison Brennan, Cindy Gerard or Suzanne Brockmann.

Your favourite historical romance author?

I haven’t read any historical romances for a while but I love reading Julia Quinn or Stephanie Laurens.

Your favourite historical era? (extra credit for telling us why)

While I love the regency time—hey, those rakes just do it for me— I have a real affinity with the medieval era, in particular around about the 1100’s. I’m not really certain why this period appeals to me. My very first manuscript was set in this time and being a very green writer, I just wrote it as it unfolded in my head. No research at all. After I’d finished, I did go and do the research and I was blown away that there was very little I had to change. I’d managed to get it correct. Was it because I’d been reading a lot of medieval novels at the time? Or had I possibly lived in that era in a past life? Hmm, who knows, but that time continues to haunt me in a subtle way.

Your favourite contemporary romance author(s)?

Jennifer Crusie, Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, to name but a few. I could go on and on but I think we’ll run out of room.

What are you currently reading?

Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard

What will you be reading next?

Whatever the top book is on my very large to-be-read pile.

The Desiree Staccato

In honour of Desiree Holt who started this Saturday Night Live style tradition:

• Favourite colour? Red
• Favourite drink? Frozen strawberry margaritas
• Favourite writing outfit? Whatever is comfortable. In summer, a sarong. Winter is an old ratty pair of track pants and sweater.
• Favourite food(s)? Seafood, TexMex
• Favourite music? Instrumentals or if I really want to up the pace, good old rock and roll. (Yeah, I’m old. Lol)
• Favourite sport? Sport? What’s that?
• Favourite body part? Mine or his?
• Favourite spot in the world? There’s no place like home, although if you drop me off on a secluded beach, margarita in hand, a hunky man seeing to my every whim, hey, I won’t complain.
• Favourite movie? Sorry, don’t watch many movies
• Favourite TV show? NCIS  (Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service)
• Favourite flower? Violets
• Favourite thing to do at knock-off time? If we’re talking my day job of running a motel, it’s locking that front door at the end of the day. If we’re talking writing, it’s curling up with a good book and a glass of wine.

Tell us about your book.

Honey Trap was a title I’d had in my brain for ages. No story to go with it, just the title. Whenever I come up with a title I think would look great on a book, I jot it down. Eventually the story line to match the title comes to me. This is what happened with Honey Trap.

Honey Trap is part of the Going Down Under series Ellora’s Cave is publishing, all written by Australian writers. Here’s the blurb for Honey Trap.

Seductive scents…torrid suspense…

For Australian scientist Kyla Harris, danger is not her middle name, but when she invents a cologne that acts as an aphrodisiac, she becomes embroiled in a CIA case. Sexy American agent Logan Matthews is assigned as her bodyguard when someone tries to steal her sensual formula. Kyla finally has the edge in the war of the sexes and Logan Matthews is her target. A little fun in bed…on the desk…in the Aussie bush—what better way to test her cologne?

It’s just a shame Logan’s only reacting because of the formula…or is he?

And an excerpt – (PG 13 if possible)

“Oh. My. God. He’s sucking my big toe.” Kyla shuddered and tried to pull her foot away. “Leave off, okay? And give me back my shoe.”

“This is hysterical.” Lisa Barlow, Kyla’s best friend, burst into laughter. “Kyla Harris, big-time scientist, tries to invent a tactical weapon and ends up with an aphrodisiac. I’m not certain the bigwigs at the DSTO will take this as a serious achievement.”

“No, this is so not funny. It’s a complete farce.” Kyla groaned and crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to avoid the groping fingers of the two men kneeling in front of her. She tried to stand, but hands grasped her shoulders and a wet tongue trailed down the side of her neck.

“Kyla, honey, I’ll give you anything, tell you anything, if only you spend some time with me.” She twisted in the chair to find an old codger called Greasy hanging off her neck. Weathered and wrinkled, he smelled of day-old garlic. “Eww! Get off me, Greasy. You’re old enough to be my dad.”

“Don’t listen to him, Kyla. I’ll give you whatever you want if you let me come home with you,” said one of the guys on his knees in front of her.

She glared at the man. He now had his hands wrapped around her thigh, the fingers intent on creeping under the hem of her cotton shorts. She slapped his arm, hoping to discourage him.

“No, no, choose me, Kyla.” This from his sun-bitten mate who still had possession of her toe.

Lisa, head down on the table, continued to laugh, the chuckles bubbling up and erupting in loud guffaws. “Man,” she gasped, “this is too funny. I never thought I’d see the day when anything fazed you.”

“Enough already! Help me get ’em off.” Kyla managed to push Greasy away and went to work on the men at her feet, kicking out until she dislodged her toe from the cavernous maw of the man on the left. “Manny, we need you. I need you,” Kyla yelled at the top of her voice.

The bartender and owner of the small establishment just waved to her from his seat at the scarred timber bar top. Like a large number of the old-timers in Alice Springs, he sported a long, matted beard and floppy moustache. His skin looked dry and leathery, the price for living in the harsh heat of outback Australia. His faded blue eyes twinkled amid a roadmap of creases and crow’s feet crevices around his eyes.

“No way in hell, darlin’. You’re on your own. Whatever that perfume was you used sure did a number on those closest to you. One whiff and they’ve turned into your lapdogs. I’m not about to be caught in the same honey trap.”

He chuckled, ending in a snort. “Just got rid of one woman who wanted to run my life. Not about to go the same route again.”

“But, Manny, I need you.” Kyla managed to get up from the seat after kicking away the two men at her feet. Before she could escape, Greasy came after her again.

“Kyla, me little heartthrob, come home with me. I’ll treat you like a queen. You’ll have the run of the house, I promise.”

Lisa finally stopped laughing long enough to try to help. “Greasy, you live in a grotty, one-room humpy down by the cemetery. That’s not exactly a palace.” She pulled at his arm, but he twisted away and went for Kyla again, hands outstretched to clutch at her.

“Enough!” Kyla jumped on the chair and then onto the table. “You stay away from me, Greasy.” She stomped on the fingers creeping across the tabletop. The man she’d kicked in the mouth had finally recovered.

“I’ll tell you all my secrets if you’ll only come home with me,” Greasy said with a lunge at the table.

Oh God, Lisa was right. The DSTO—the Defense Science and Technology Organization—wouldn’t be impressed at all if they heard about this. She normally worked in the tracking and detection technologies section down in Melbourne, but she was sick to death of doing nothing but analyzing boring algorithms. Hence the year’s sabbatical she’d taken from work.

She’d needed the break, but hadn’t been able to discipline her mind. She’d wanted to get back to simple inventing. Use her science background in a way that fed the need to be useful and productive. And given she worked for the Department of Defense, her mind had immediately zeroed in on something that could help soldiers in the field.

How about cologne that disguised a man’s scent—sweat, cigarettes, fear, excitement—from the enemy? She figured it had to be a winner. Now look where it had led her.

With a yell, she stomped on the hand inching toward her right ankle. “Get off, you morons. This is not funny.”

“Ah, yeah, it is.” Lisa laughed again as she dragged Greasy away from the table.

“Seems you could use some help over here, ma’am.”

Kyla groaned and closed her eyes a moment. Not another one. Enough is enough. She bared her teeth in a growl and turned to face the owner of the voice.

“Now listen here…” The words petered out and her mouth fell open as she caught sight of the man in question. Tall—at a guess, she figured six-one, six-two. Dark hair cut short, military style. Maybe he was in the Marines, what with the American accent. Chocolate brown eyes under thick brows. Eyes that at that moment twinkled with suppressed humor. A kick-ass smile that curved his sensual lips. And a hero to boot.

Everything Kyla liked in a man, as far as looks went anyway. Yeah, baby, you can come park your shoes under my bed any time you like. Well, a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

Reality kicked in when Greasy made another lunge at her and grasped hold of the bottom of her shorts. Kyla tried to twist away, but she didn’t have enough room.

“I don’t think so, buddy. The lady isn’t interested. Time for you to leave.” Her rescuer grabbed Greasy by the back of the collar and yanked him away from the table. There was only one problem. Greasy still had hold of her shorts. Kyla gasped as her elasticized-waist shorts slid down to her knees, exposing the tiny black thong panties she had on. She didn’t know whether to play the outraged virgin and cover her pubic area or try to tough it out.

“Oops.” Her hero turned to her and grinned. “Sorry, ma’am.”

He frog-marched Greasy out the door before dealing with the other two men. When he was done, he brushed his hands together and returned to the table, running his gaze over Kyla. “Anything else I can do for you, ma’am, now that I’ve taken out the trash?”

____

To buy Honey Trap, click here.

To visit Alexis’s website, click here…To jump to her blog, click here.

Don’t forget to leave a comment!

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