Monday, August 13, 2012

*Tahira Iqbal Interview & Blog Tour Giveaway* Cowboy Lust edited by Delilah Delvin

 Cowboy Lust
an anthology edited by Delilah Devlin

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BLURB:

These cowboys ride hard...

There's a reason Western romance novels never go out of fashion. The cowboy is an iconic figure embodying the dichotomy of the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male crossed with the male as a nurturer and protector. Cowboys take care of their women in every possible way. Wild and wayward women are gentled by the scent of horse and cow and the sight of sun-kissed skin, the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms, and the sound of a deep-voiced Texas drawl.

Contributors at the top of the Western romance genre, including Charlene Teglia, Randi Alexander, Cat Johnson, and editor, Delilah Devlin, have corralled strong and memorable characters ranging from ranch hands to cattle barons, to a rodeo star and a feisty female gunslinger. Traversing romantic settings from Montana, Texas, California, Mexico, and the Outback of Australia, the stories in Cowboy Lust are risky and risqué, full of studs in spurs hot enough to send you to a vacation on a dude ranch!
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Tell us a little about your book?
Cowboy lust is a collection of short stories about… you guessed it cowboys!  Hot, utterly sexy and part of the American landscape, this British writer had a lot of fun bringing Brent to life!
How much emotion does it take from you to write?
A lot. I’m a perfectionist, and can spend ages fussing over things.

What is your favorite part of the book?
In my short story, it’s when Ace and Brent, reconnect, that ‘s pretty sweet.

You can only pick 3 words for your main characters..what would they be? *to describe your main characters*
For Brent, hard, strong, capable.

Which was the easiest character to write and the hardest ~ and why??
Easiest for me are villains would you believe! I love creating bad asses, but they are also the hardest to write because I want them to be mean, no holds barred, but usually love gets in the way of their world domination plans, so I have to soften them without diluting their personality… now that’s a lot of fun!
How many books are you shooting for in this series?? n/a

What are you currently working on? I’m working a few short stories as well as trying to complete a novel.

Do you have anything due to release soon? Yes! My story The Storm, in Cowboy Lust ;0

What's one thing that you enjoy about writing? It’s my own personal form of therapy, I gain a lot of peace from just writing.

Since we're cover hussies....what was your first impression of your cover? I really love it!  He’s pretty sexy right?

What do you prefer ebooks or paperbacks? Paperbacks without doubt!

Is there a genre you would like to write but are a little apprehensive to try?  I’d love to write for Harlequin (or Mills and Boon in the UK), but I can’t seem to get the stories to flow.

Okay.... personal time!!!! Oh yeah, I go there... Hahah...

If you thought you were safe... Nah... Forgot it... Not a chance! We will start off slow and easy, I promise

What is on your night stand/dresser? Lots of Ojon hair products, I love their stuff! And my jewelry bowl which needs a serious tidy up.

What are you listening to you right now?  Right now, Two Steps from Hell, Freedom Fighters.

What are you reading right now?  Tony Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within.

What is your favorite season? Holiday?  Winter and Halloween (My favorite film is The Crow, so I adore Halloween)

And what has been your best b-day present ever??  Going to New York with my sisters and cousins for a week!

Hard and Quick Time! Don't think... Just answer! Okay, before we go this route, I will get us a refill on our drinks... I will be right back...

You know you do... Quickie time... Think fast....

Are you a quickie kind girl? Nope.
Dark or Milk Chocolate? Neither, I don’t eat it!
Whipped or Melted?  Is this cream?  Then neither, I don’t eat it!
Straight up or with a twist - sex?  Twisty please!
What's ur fave drink - in a glass or on him?  Evian (yes, I’m that boring!)
Spank or Flogger?  Mmm… Not sure!
Junk or Health Food? Health Food, you may have already realized that with my liking for Evian and no chocolate!
Ties or Chains? Ties, you get cold with chains.
Leather or Lace? Leather!
Soft or Hard... Bed, where was your mind?  Soft.
Control or Be Controlled?  Control.
Hot Wax or Whip Cream?  Hot wax!
Vampire or Werewolf?  Both please!
Twitter and/or Facebook? Twitter… I am losing the will to live with Facebook and all their constant changes.
Pinterest or not?  Yes, I’m just getting into it. 
 
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***Giveaway Time***



One randomly drawn commenter at each stop will win one of the following:



Cowboy Bad Boys (digital) by Randi Alexander
Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Lissa Matthews
Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Charlene Teglia during her stop
Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Cari Quinn (x4)
"I'll show you my e-reader if you show me yours" T-shirt (Large size) from Kimber Vale
Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Delilah Devlin during her stops (x2)
Signed copies of Cowboy Fever by Delilah Devlin to two winners
Love in Short Order (digital), a romance by Michael Bracken writing as Rolinda Hay
Stud (digital), an erotic romance by Michael Bracken writing as Rolinda Hay

Plus one randomly drawn commenter during the tour will win a $50 Amazon GC grand prize!!!!


You have to leave your comment & email to have your name thrown in the hat!!!
If those two things are not below... Sorry...

The contest started already and ends on.. August 24th!!



I encourage you to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.


Please leave your comment & email below so the lovely ladies at Goddess can pick their winner!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Now let's see a little sneak peek of this story...

EXCERPT from “The Storm” by Tahira Iqbal
The storm arrives with wild abandon, twisting and turning, gray fury  unleashing torrential rain that blurs the horizon.

“I don’t think you should drive in this weather, Candace!” my friend says from the covered deck.

I shrug away the concern, tossing my jacket over head, and run for my car.

“I’ll be fine, Renee!” I yell over the rumbling, “Thanks for lunch!”

Soaked to my ankles, I start the SUV, which I’d borrowed from my daddy as my car was at the dealership after a suspicious rattle under the hood had demanded attention. I switch on the wipers, which beat rapidly across the windscreen but barely make a dent in the deluge.

I wave to Renee, hoping that she can see me and maneuver the truck up the drive to the main road.

Borrowing the SUV had been a good idea, but taking the back roads wasn’t. Water gathers against the body of the powerful vehicle as I drive through a flooded dip in the road, the engine growling menacingly, choking on the rainwater

“Come on baby...” I nudge the gas, my heart pounding against my ribs as the beast climbs, clearing the water. Miles of fork lightening ignites the sky, showing me eerie black clouds.

I’m about eight miles from my apartment in town when the phone rings; I activate the hands free system, the connection patchy, but my daddy’s distinct voice peppers over the line.

“I’m okay,” I say speaking over him, hoping that he can hear me, “I’m on my way home.”

“...Road is under two foot of water... don’t go to…”

“Road? Which road? I can’t hear you!”

“... Stay at Renee’s...” He says, “... not safe... under…“ More crackles, “...two foot of water...”

The line disconnects suddenly as a giant whip of lightening snaps across the sky. I try to play connect the dots with my daddy’s words, but come to the realization that I should indeed turn back to Renee’s. In the act of searching for a place to turn the SUV around, I’m distracted by rushing movement through the windscreen.

“What the…?”

Panicked horses bolt toward me after exiting a broken fence. My gut reaction is to wrench the wheel hard left to avoid them and I do so, hitting the brake at the same time with both feet. The truck ignores the command and skids on the surface water, sending me toward the edge of the road where I careen down a verge.

“Oh God…” The air bag explodes as I slam to a stop at the bottom. My head cracks backward, smashing off something hard. The impact is enough to show me stars, and more worryingly, I see water rising over the hood that’s found its way here from the overloaded drains.

Lazy hands try to work the seat belt, but there’s an urgent need to close my eyes. With a breathy sigh of horror, I’m drawn into an unconsciousness that I’m helpless to fight against. Blood rolling into my eye from a cut is the last thing I see.

* * *

Arms, strong, sure and wet, reach around my frame, pulling me up and out of the haunting stillness.

“It’s okay... I’ve got you.” Rain beats down on the roof of the car like a drum beat; the smell of overheated metal is in the air, it’s acrid and catches the back of my throat.

“What happened?” I cough.

“You were in an accident.” The voice is male, deep, authoritative and utterly familiar.

“Brent…?” I whisper, “Is that you?”

“Hold onto me, darlin’.” He adjusts my weight, bringing me up against his chest once we clear the cab.

My arms obey, going around his neck, vision filling with lightening, blinding me for a moment until my sight is then consumed by his eyes that shine with equal power.

“I’ve got you,” he says again.

Brent easily carries my weight up the bank using a guide rope tossed down by someone on the road. We go slow and steady, his strength almost mythological against the storm. Horse hooves clip rapidly on the tarmac, sharp bellows of fear rising from the scattered herd.

I’m set on my feet, Brent’s hands on my elbows for stability.

“Easy…”

I look up to take in the violent heavens that light up all around us, the rain stinging the wound on my head.

“You’re okay...” His hand smoothes back the strings of hair sticking to my face.

I look down the ravine at the car, the hood crushed, water flowing into the cab.

“You’re alright now…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tahira Iqbal  - AUTHOR Bio and Links:

When not working the film and TV industry UK based Tahira Iqbal can be found in her home office writing. You can find her story "The Queen", which received rave reviews, in Red Velvet and Absinthe. Keeping with the supernatural theme, you can find "The Handler" in She-Shifters where Allegra has to decide to live a life in the light, rather than the dark her wolf side prefers. Suite Encounters features "The Deacon", a wickedly sexy story about a billionaire hotelier and his escapade with one employee. And Cowboy Lust, Tahira's first foray into the world of cowboys features "The Storm", a story about unrequited love and it's power to build bridges. Visit http://www.tahiraiqbal.com for more information, trailers and links.  You can find her on Twitter - @tahiraiqbal, so get in touch and say hello!

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EDITOR Bio and Links:

Delilah Devlin is an award-winning author of erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over a hundred stories in multiple sub-genres and lengths with Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Kensington, Kindle, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing. 

DelilahDevlinFanPage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/




DelilahDevlin


And remember... Always keep it Dirty, Smutty & Hussy! Photobucket

41 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for interviewing me, I had great fun answering all your questions!

    And thank you for showing love to my story The Storm, as well as the rest of the brilliant anthology!

    Tahira xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. There is something very special about cowboys. COWBOY LUST looks just amazing.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  3. OMG...No chocolate? I don't think I could do that. I can go a while without it but then I will just crave it.

    The cowboy anthology sounds good. I love these books for bed time reading (I won't be as tempted to stay up all night reading, lol) Congrats on the recent release :)
    June
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lol! I know :) but I have other vices other than chocolate ;0

      I hope you enjoy the full anthology, I'm about half way through my contributor copy and it's gloriously good!

      Delete
  4. I grew up in Texas lusty cowboys are right up my alley.

    love.letters.saga @ gmail.com

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  5. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to find new authors. Will definately be reading this series. Marie Lisk melisk1966@yahoo.com

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  6. I LOVE me some cowboys!

    I just cannot imagine no chocolate!?! The money I'd save if I could give it up (chocolate prices have been increasing in the past year)... My drink of choice is Dasani.

    shauntih(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  7. Yummy! Delilah's the best :) Looking forward to this new collection!

    f dot chen at comcast dot net

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    Replies
    1. Love your vote of confidence, Fedora!

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  8. Gotta love the cowboys! :) Great interview.And thanks for sharing the excerpt.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest of the anthology too! :) Tahira x

      Delete
  9. No chocolate? Wow, that's restraint. I haven't read much cowboy love, but that changes right now!

    vitajex(at)aol(Dot)com

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  10. i just couldnt live without my chocolate, it cures all my troubles. i just love cowboys. good interview good luck with the book. thanks for the giveaway. julie.beasley@btinternet.com

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  11. Thanks for the awesome giveawa. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

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  12. Love collections like these for when I don't have a lot of time but want to read something. Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    suz2(at)cox(dot)net

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  13. Very nice interview and excerpt.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  14. Who deeds chocolate when you can read about that sexy looking cowboy.

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  15. Loved the interview, Tahira! Thanks for being a part of this book! Did you know she's in another of my collections? :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Delilah! I am indeed in another collection, check out She Shifters, which has my story "The Handler" featured. Check out my site for all the details :) Tahira x

      Delete
  16. Enjoyed the interview. Thanks for the great excerpt.
    Jean
    skpetal at hotmail dot com

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  17. Congrats on the book release. It sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the great interview and excerpt.

    e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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  18. I love books that have a collection of stories. I feel like I get a bounty of books. Thanks for the interview and excerpt.
    Mel
    bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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  19. The book cover is very nice, he's sooooo yummy. Great interview and I loved the excerpt. I do enjoy reading an anthology with the same themed stories.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    Replies
    1. Aw thanks Julianne :) It's a great anthology :) Tahira x

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  20. I saw this and I knew that I would love to read this! It looks like a great book and I would love to win it!

    jamielovesweeping@gmail.com

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  21. I gave up chocolate once it lasted all of 3 days, thanks for the post I love hot cowboys! Carin
    mawmom at gmail dot com

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  22. the book looks really awesome. i always have had a thing for a cowboy!

    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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  23. I am glad writing is your form of therapy because reading is mine and I really enjoy your books!
    usignolc(At)yahooDOTcom

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    Replies
    1. Reading is also mine too! But I think writing just edges it out and sits in the top spot :) thanks for your support too! Tahira x

      Delete
  24. Love this anthology of cowboys! Yehaw!

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  25. Love this anthology of cowboys! Yehaw!

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  26. Been traveling back and forth so I'm trying to catch up, great project for Delilah and friends, who doesn't love a cowboy???
    Z
    Seawitch Reviews @ yahoo (dot) com

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  27. Love cowboys!

    L. Payer
    jlipayer@att.net

    ReplyDelete
  28. Cowboys are my number one fovorite for books and life.
    amotherway (at) aol ( dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Tahira is a new to me author and I love Delilah and cowboys. Cowboy Lust looks amazing and I really enjoyed the excerpt of The Storm. Thanks so much for the interview, excerpt, and contest!

    kscathy@yahoo.com

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  30. I'm new to Tahira and her books, but by the sounds of this one, I'm going to be reading a lot of her soon! Love Delilah!
    Thanks for the interview and giveaway
    cms72023(at)gmail(dot)com

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  31. Oh that looks delicious :) Love a good cowboy story!

    Thanks!
    acade29@gmail.com

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  32. Hey there! I'm here to announce a winner:
    June M. [manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com] will recieve:

    Love in Short Order (digital), a romance by Michael Bracken writing as Rolinda Hay
    And Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Cari Quinn

    ReplyDelete

I want to thank you for stopping by my place... I hope to see you again!!
I hope you enjoy my little bloggie home as much as I do!
With hugs, love and smiles... Cecile

My Fictional Smutty Boyfriend.... =)

"Quotes"