*Giveaway & Interview* Magnolia by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera

Ladies and Gents of the Lair, please put together a warm welcome for the wonderful....

Ms. Carolina Garcia-Augilera!

 MAGNOLIA  (B&B Press; November 2012), the new book by award-winning author, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera,  is a clever, witty and engaging story where two American pastimes -- sports and sex -- come together. In this book, readers will follow the story of Magnolia Larson, a beautiful, twenty-two year old woman from a conservative, Catholic Minneapolis family, as she transforms herself into a kind of “sports geisha,” a high priced hooker for elite athletes.

Writer Brian Antoni offers early praise: “Magnolia is so sexy and sultry, it should be dripping sweat among other body fluids.  Part romance, part sports Kama Sutra, part marvelous fun, this pay-to-play page turner of a beautiful woman's journey as a sports geisha is as caliente and entertaining as Miami itself.”  It is a sensual smorgasbord of racy encounters, playful fantasy and everything in between

Garcia-Aguilera is the author of ten books, as well as a contributor to many anthologies, but she is perhaps best known for her Lupe Solano mystery series.  Her books have been translated into twelve languages; One Hot Summer, her seventh novel, was made into a film for Lifetime Television.   In addition to being an award-winning author, Garcia-Aguilera has taken on the roles of private investigator for 25 years,historical researcher, wife and mother, and invested each with her own indomitable spirit and infectious enthusiasm. She has a large and loyal following that will only widen with the release of MAGNOLIA.

1.    Tell us a little about your book?
·    Set in Miami, Magnolia is the story of twenty-two year old Magnolia Larson, a recent college graduate from a conservative Catholic Minneapolis family who finds herself alone and broke, and with no prospects to making any money. She receives an unexpected offer to change her grim circumstances when Oona O’Ryan, a sports agent, proposes that she comes to work for her as her “edge”, a sort of sports geishas for elite athletes.

2.    How much emotion does it take from you to write?
·    Emotion really does not enter into my writing. Although I do write about themes that are quite emotional- murder, betrayal, adultery, crime, etc.- I cannot allow myself to lose perspective, otherwise the story would have too much “me” and not enough plot.

3.    What is your favorite part of the book?
·    I enjoy writing the beginning the best, as that is when I lay out the story, and can      
      move the characters around as much as I please. By the middle and end of the      
      book, I really don’t have the freedom to tamper with them as much, as their    
            personalities are pretty much set.
 
4.    3 words for your main characters:
*    In the Lupe Solano series, Lupe would be: fearless, smart and sexy; in Magnolia,   
      Magnolia Larson would be: ambitious, curious and focused

5.    Which was the easiest character to write and the hardest and why?
·    Easiest: Lupe Solano because we are both in the same profession, so I know from personal experience how a case should be managed. I’ve been a private investigator for over twenty-five years (I actually became one so I could write about a female private investigator with authenticity). The most difficult was Magnolia because I did not want it to seem that I was condoning her choice to become a sports geisha. When writing the sex scenes, some of which were quite explicit, I had to walk a very fine line so that the book would not be too “over the top”. As the mother of three daughters, I was very aware I was treading on shallow waters with the subject matter.

6.    How many books are you shooting for in this series?
·    I think two. I’ve already written quite a bit for the second one, but, before I    
      continue, I want to see how this one is received.

7.    What are you currently working on?
·    I’ve started a new mystery series- have about 100 pages- set in Miami with a   
      female private investigator as the main character.

8.    Do you have anything due to release soon?
·    Yes. Magnolia (B&B Press) November 10/ 2012

9.    What’s one thing that you enjoy about writing?
·    I love creating different worlds; I love the control I have as to what I write, what words I use, where the story goes. A writer really has not much control over what happens in real life, but, in a book, he or she does. It’s a total luxury!

10.    What was your first impression of your cover?
·    I was given several covers to choose from, and I had finally narrowed it down to two. I loved the final version because it most closely depicted the theme of the book. It’s a quite different cover- a pink lacy thong on the top half of the page with a grayish jock strap on the bottom. Really stands out…..

11.    What do you prefer: ebooks or paperbacks?
·    I really prefer hardbacks, then trade paperbacks, and last, paperbacks. I love the feel, smell, touch, tradition of a book, sensations that one does not get in ebooks. I understand the convenience is ebooks, but my preference is definitely for words that I can read on paper.

12.    Is there a genre you would like to write but are a little apprehensive to try?
*    I’d love to try to write historical fiction, especially the period when the Spanish explorers, the conquistadores, first landed in the Americas. I was a history/political major in college, and history has always fascinated me.     
  
 SLOW AND EASY Part:

1.    What is on your night stand/dresser?
       *   I have a pile of books; magazines; catalogues (stuff I will never order); two sets of   
            reading glasses; photos of my daughters; photos of my four dogs; hand lotion; lip   
            balm; Bose radio; crystal lamp. 

2.    What are you listening to right now?
·    I always have the radio on in my office as I cannot work in silence. Right now I  
      have a sixties station on, and am listening to a Beatles song. If I know the words  
      to a song, I sing along very loudly. Good thing my office is removed from the rest  
      of the house, right?

3.    What are you reading right now?
·    The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg

4.    What is your favorite season? Holiday?
·    Summer, definitely. Thanksgiving.

5.    And what has been your best d-day present ever?
·    My only brother got married on my birthday, so my sister-in-law, Helen, has been my best present, ever.

      HARD AND QUICK TIME!
  
1.    Are you a quickie kind person? Sometimes
2.    Dark or Milk Chocolate? Dark chocolate, definitely.
3.    Whipped or Melted? Melted
4.    What's your favorite drink? Red wine- lots and lots of it
5.    Junk or Health Food? Junk
6.    Soft or Hard.... Bed, where was your mind, lol? Hard, very…….
7.    Twitter and/or Facebook? Facebook, on occasion
8.    Pinterest or not? No

To find more about this author, please visit her website here!

 ***Giveaway Time***

 Now due to the time frame of this post and the length I am going to run this giveaway....

I am going to end this giveaway on Friday (Black Friday)....

Give me time to post a winner!

I promise I will email the author as soon as I pick a winner!

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