Romance So Hot It’s Cool

512x512jpgKimberly Dean is my guest author today, and the last guest for the year.

Kimberly writes erotic romantic suspense, and there’s a special deal at the end of her interview.  Let’s get to know Kimberly.

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Who are your favourite authors?

Linda Howard, Nalini Singh, J.R. Ward, JK Rowling, Sandra Brown, Sidney Sheldon, Karen Robards

What is your favourite novel cover?

Oh, there are so many good ones out there, but I really fell in love with the cover Kim Killion designed for my book, Dream Walker. I literally caught my breath when I saw it.

KimberlyDean_DreamWalker_web-200x300

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

You ask hard questions! I don’t know if it’s the best, but one that comes to mind is Keanu Reeves with Sandra Bullock at the end of the movie, Speed. Instead of jumping off the train, he stays with her, holding her as the train goes off the rails. When my friends and I walked out of the theater afterwards, someone asked me what I thought. “It was so romantic,” I said. “Romantic???!!!” was their reply. Yes, I stand by it. Romantic. That’s my hero moment.

What’s the best Hero Moment you’ve ever read in a book?

Zsadist saving Bella from her captor in Lover Awakened. (J.R. Ward).  Oh, that book got to me. Sigh.

What reading device do you use for reading ebooks on? 

I have a Kindle.

What is your take on the indie author phenomenon?  What do you think the book industry will look like in five years’ time?

The indie revolution is here to stay. It’s opened doors for new kinds of writers and storylines. It’s been really freeing, but I think there will be a shake out. There’s a glut in the marketplace right now. The real writers will stick around. I think that readers are going to demand quality over quantity.

Do you ever skip the “I love you!” scene in your novels?  Do you feel you’ve been cheated if they’re missing in other authors’ books? 

I do leave them out at times. Sometimes it feels so redundant, and those three words shouldn’t be needed. If the characters have been through a lot, they shouldn’t need the words to verify what they feel and know inside their hearts. It all depends on the story. Other times, I feel it is necessary, and I’ll make sure it’s there. But personally, I don’t feel cheated. It’s the journey that’s important, not the destination.

What’s your take on eBook piracy?  What would you do about it if you were given carte blanche?

It’s sad, especially with ebook prices so low already. I just read a study that determined that most writers’ earnings put them below the poverty line. With as many hours as authors put into writing a book, it’s shameful to steal them. I don’t know what can be done to stop it. Maybe I’d make pirates sit in a chair, retyping the book they stole over and over again until their hours match the time it took the author to write it. Then the printout should be burned in front of them so they could see their efforts go up in smoke.

{That’s a new one!  Interesting… t.}

If someone offered you immortality, but you could never write again…would you take the offer?

I think immortality would be a horrible curse. I’d never want to be immortal.

What are you currently reading?  How’s that going for you?

I’m listening to the audio-book for The Girl on the Train. I’m liking it.

What will you be reading next?

I just pulled a book out of a box in storage, The Witness, from Sandra Brown.

The Desiree Staccato

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

  • Favourite colour? Purple
  • Favourite drink?  Coca Cola
  • Favourite writing outfit? Sweats
  • Favourite food(s)? Mexican
  • Favourite music? Rock-and-roll
  • Favourite sport? To play? Volleyball To watch? Basketball or hockey
  • Favourite body part? Hands
  • Favourite spot in the world? Grand Cayman
  • Favourite movie? The Sixth Sense
  • Favourite TV show? The Originals
  • Favourite flower? Tiger lily
  • Favourite thing to do at knock-off time? Sit on my deck

Tell us about your book.

CourtingDanger HI RES_webRielle Sands ventured too close to the fire once and got burned. Now when it comes to men, she’s vowed to play it safe. But then a dashing, mysterious man shows up at Luxxor Limited after hours, the agency she manages, needing an escort.

Darien Scott isn’t what he appears to be. Beneath the sexy smile and wicked charm, he’s hiding secrets. Yet the sizzling chemistry between him and Rielle is real. He tries to stay away, but his attraction to her keeps pulling him back. When he discovers that he’s not the only one haunted by danger, he changes tactics. To protect Rielle, he may need to stay close. Super close. Exclusive Luxxor contract close.

The reward is more than worth the risk.

Courting Danger is the third book in my Courting series. It’s about a high-end escort service that caters to the wealthy by matching them with escorts who are as smart, mannered, and cultured as they are beautiful. The one limitation in Luxxor’s contracts? No sex allowed. Except, of course, if the contact is mutually acceptable.

The series is set in Washington D.C. where a lot of people have highly classified, very mysterious jobs. That spurred the idea for the hero, and the story took off from there.

Book excerpt

‘Hello? Is anyone here?’

A low voice rumbled down the hallway, and her chest tightened. It was a man, but she didn’t recognize the voice. For a moment, she considered remaining quiet, but she licked her lips and made herself step forward. She was overreacting. If she wasn’t, there was an emergency call button hidden under the lip of her desktop. Security could be here in less than a minute if she needed them.

She returned to the lobby and scanned the area. Her gaze came to a screeching halt when it landed on the man who was already looking in her direction.

Oh. Wow.

Her wariness didn’t decrease, but a different kind of awareness flooded her. ‘Hello?’ she said huskily.

Somehow he’d known she was there, yet he seemed taken aback. His weight slowly rocked back from the balls of his feet, and his eyes narrowed. They were blue eyes. Startling blue. ‘Good evening.’

She wasn’t overreacting. The guy had danger written all over him, in that good-girls-beware sort of way. Tall and strapping, he had closely cropped dark hair and a rough-and-tumble aura that didn’t go with the tuxedo he was wearing. That wasn’t to say he didn’t look good. He looked damn good. The combination was powerful, and it hit her first in her belly and next in her knees.

Sex appeal oozed from him.

Which, of course, meant he was here for an escort.

His gaze was running over her just as alertly as she’d evaluated him, so Rielle quickly put herself behind her desk. She tucked her barrette behind her phone and fought the urge to run her fingers through her hair. ‘I’m sorry, but we’re closed.’

He cocked his head. ‘The door was open.’

And that had been a mistake.

‘Did you have an appointment?’ She knew very well he didn’t.

‘No.’ Her question had been sharp, but his blue gaze didn’t flinch. Instead, the lines of his face softened, and she had to lock her knees to keep them from melting. ‘But I’m in a bind. I was hoping you could help me out.’

She lifted an eyebrow. The man might be putting out pheromones by the bucketful, but her brain was still functioning – admittedly better on some levels than others – and she’d begun to sense danger of another sort. The entrapment sort. Luxxor was not a company that took walk-ins. ‘For whom are you looking?’

He walked closer to the desk, and she instinctively gripped its edge. The way he moved, all silent and stealthy. The expensive carpeting absorbed the noise most people made, but the air didn’t even stir at his approach. Her fingers edged closer to the silent alarm, but she didn’t push it.

Not yet.

‘I’m looking for Luxxor Limited. I know I’m late, but I need an escort for the evening.’

Her guard stayed up. She knew they were alone in the office – she was acutely aware of the fact – but her company’s clients knew better than to go spouting off so casually about Luxxor’s line of work. They signed nondisclosure agreements to ensure it. If he was wearing a wire, she wanted to make everything perfectly clear. ‘You need someone to attend an event with you tonight?’

‘Actually, I need someone right now.’

She shook her head. Luxxor went to extremes to satisfy its clients. She’d blush if she thought about how far some escorts went, but there was no way she could accommodate his request. The employees they had working tonight already had their assignments. Even if she did contact someone, the timing was impossible.

And for some reason, that relieved her. ‘I’m sorry, but we don’t have anyone available on such short notice, Mr . . . I don’t believe I caught your name.’

‘Because I didn’t give it.’ He slid his hands into his pockets. The tuxedo looked good on him, but it was failing badly at taming him. Especially when he winked. ‘Tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine.’

_________

Giveaway!

All readers can download Courting Jealousy, the first short story in the series, for free at:

Amazon US ?Amazon UK ?Nook ?iBook?Google Play? Kobo ? Smashwords ? All Romance eBooks

Buy Courting Danger

| Amazon | Barnes & Noble | All Romance eBooks | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play |

…and get to know Kimberly better:

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My thanks to Kimberly for posting here today. – t.

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