Saturday, March 30, 2013

Blogiversary Day #6 with L.A. Witt & Riptide Publishing Giveaway

Today we have L.A Witt here with an interview and spotlighting her Market Garden books which she co-wrote with Aleksandr Voinov.
 
Riptide Publishing has offered a fantastic giveaway. There will be 3 $10 Gift Certificates. How cool is that.
 
 



What was the very first romance novel you read? What did you think? – I don’t remember the title, but it was this really godawful historical I found on my grandmother’s bookshelf. I think I was 10 or 11, and all I really remember was wishing the heroine would either throw the hero overboard with a cinder block tied to his foot. Or tie the cinder block to her own foot and jump. Either way.  Great first impression, that book was.

 

Do you believe in Happily Ever After? – Sure. I believe I’ve found mine. I also believe we’re sometimes given the false impression that HEA means it’s smooth sailing from here on out. You found your soulmate, so the work is done. Not so much. Relationships are a lot of work. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. A HEA relationship is worth the effort it takes to keep it that way.

 

What would you do if you weren’t an author? – I’d probably still be a cubicle drone, which means I would have lost my mind by now. Nine years of that was enough.

 

Have you read any great books lately? – I’m admittedly on a bit of an Aleksandr Voinov kick. I’m re-reading Dark Soul, I’ve read Skybound more times than I can count, and I just read Counterpunch. I’m also reading Santuario by GB Gordon, which I probably would have finished on my vacation if I’d actually remembered to put it in my bag.  *facepalm*  Great story, I’m just taking an abysmally long time to read it because I’m a scatterbrained nitwit.

 

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination? – I use photos (sometimes celebrities, sometimes not) to give myself a visual of each character, but the character’s personality evolves independently of the person in the photo. i.e., I might use an actor with a certain set of quirks, but the character will develop completely different ones.

 

Can you tell us a little about your latest release? – My latest is called Covet Thy Neighbor. This is book #4 in the Tucker Springs series, and is available from Riptide Publishing. In it, Seth, my staunch atheist tattoo artist, suddenly finds himself enthralled with his neighbor, a youth pastor named Darren. Seth has to struggle with his hang-ups regarding religion, and he might want to figure it out before he pushes Darren away forever.

Tucker Springs is a series set in a fictional Colorado town of the same name, and I’m writing that series along with Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton. Marie’s book, Never A Hero, will be out in May.

 

How do you come up with your book titles? – It really depends on the book. Sometimes the title comes first, and the story evolves from that, like The Princess & The Porn Star and Damaged Goods (both written as Lauren Gallagher) and A Chip In His Shoulder. Other times, it comes to me while I’m brainstorming the story, like Static and The Given & The Taken. Friends have helped with some, others have come from prequels (i.e., The Distance Between Us segued nicely into The Closer You Get and the upcoming third book, Meet Me In The Middle). If I’m really struggling, I’ll go and look up a bunch of quotes with a similar theme, and see if I can find a cool phrase. That was how Who Compels My Strength and To Know The Enemy got their titles (hat tip to Aleksandr Voinov for finding the quote that led to the latter one).

 

Have you ever named a character in your book after someone you knew? – Nope. Never. *shifty eyes*

 

Do you have a writing tip to share with our readers? – Beware the monster that is burnout. Think of it like staying hydrated during a marathon: by the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Pace yourself, take breaks, don’t over-commit, and know the signs of burnout before you actually hit the wall.

 

What does your family think of you writing erotic romance? – My family is very supportive. They’ve always been supportive of my writing, but I don’t think anyone expected me of all people to be writing romance. Erotica, yes. They all know I worked for a porn company a few years ago, so that part didn’t surprise them in the least. Romance, though? That came out of left field. Gay romance? Even more so.  But no one’s ever given me any grief for it aside from some good-natured ribbing.

 

What would you tell a reader reluctant to read erotica? – Try it, you might like it!

 
Quickie Time
 
You’re granted 3 wishes, what would they be?  Does each member of 30 Seconds to Mars count as an individual wish, or...

 
What’s your motto?  Shut up and write.
 

What’s your guilty pleasure? Really godawful music.
 

What are you hiding in your night stand? ;-)  Cat treats. 
 

Handcuffs or silk ties?  Handcuffs wielded by someone in a silk tie.
 

Hairy chests or smooth? Depends on the chest.
 

Sexiest feature on a man?  Shoulders. OM NOM NOM.
 

Favorite dirty word? :-) Fuck, of course.
 

Night owl or early bird? Night owl
 

What’s the last thing you Googled? Airfare to London.
 

What’s in your TBR pile? OMG, what isn't in my TBR pile?
 

Favorite tv show? Burn Notice and The Big Bang Theory.
 

Favorite color? Green
 

Left or right handed? Left-handed for writing, right-handed for can openers and scissors, ambidextrous for everything else.
 

Best Anniversary gift you ever got?  Three weeks in London!
 






L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer currently living in the glamorous and ultra-futuristic metropolis of Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two cats, and a disembodied penguin brain that communicates with her telepathically. In addition to writing smut and disturbing the locals, L.A. is said to be working with the US government to perfect a genetic modification that will allow humans to survive indefinitely on Corn Pops and beef jerky. This is all a cover, though, as her primary leisure activity is hunting down her arch nemesis, erotica author Lauren Gallagher, who is also said to be lurking somewhere in Omaha.

 








Market Garden Series

Book 1 - Quid Pro Quo


 
For the past six months, Jared’s been selling sex at Market Garden, a London club that caters to the better-off. But business is slow in the run-up to Christmas, when businessmen and bankers are too busy bickering over bonuses to rent themselves a little high-class action.
Though Jared’s wallet finds the downtime unnerving, the rest of him rather enjoys the opportunity it gives him to admire Tristan, an old hand in the club whose reputation usually sees him well-booked. Jared has been crushing on Tristan for months—he’s no more immune to Tristan’s cockiness and confidence than the johns, and those are just Tristan’s inner qualities.
Just as Jared’s about to chat Tristan up, a businessman asks for something a little different: he wants to book them both. They agree—and Jared finds himself going from crush to mind-bending lust as he’s made the pawn in a sexual power game. Tristan shows him how a pro handles a john while delivering the top-shelf sex for which the Market Garden is so rightly renowned.
 
 
 
Book 2 - Take It Off (A Market Garden Tale)
 
Turnabout is foreplay.
High-end Market Garden rentboys Tristan and Jared have found their niche. Men are willing to pay good money to watch Tristan tease Jared, and the two of them seduce London’s elite with sex and power games.

Except Tristan is less and less interested in getting money out of the johns these days. He wants his partner in crime, and he wants the seduction to be real. But is Jared just in this for the pay?
When Rolex, the john who started it all, returns to Market Garden, the boys jump on the opportunity to service him—and each other—for a fresh pile of cash. Rolex isn’t the only one itching for a rematch, though. Jared’s been waiting for a chance to get back at Tristan for teasing him so mercilessly the first time.
And for a former stripper, revenge is a dish best served extra hot.

 


Book 3 - If It Flies (A Market Garden Tale)
 
 
If it flies, drives, or fornicates, it’s cheaper to rent it.
Spencer is in a rut. Long hours at the law firm are sucking the life out of him, and he doesn’t have time or energy for a relationship. He’s lonely, horny, and itching for something new, so he tries the Market Garden, an exclusive—and expensive—brothel. Spencer isn’t in the door five minutes before a cocky rentboy makes his move.
Nick isn’t just any rentboy, though. He’s a Dom, he’s a sadist, and he’s everything Spencer didn’t know he was missing. One night turns into more, and before long, Spencer is one of Nick’s regular clients.
Both men think they’re just scratching each other’s backs: Spencer’s exploring a submissive, masochistic side he never knew he had, and Nick is getting off and getting paid. But as time goes on, it’s clear their strictly professional arrangement . . . isn’t, and if Nick has one hard limit, it’s that he doesn’t get romantically entangled with his johns. The problem is, while Nick doesn't want to be owned, Spencer’s no longer content with just renting.
 
 


Thank you L.A. for coming over and helping celebrate Cecile's Blogiversary!!
 
 
 
 
3 winners - each will receive a $10 GC to Riptide Publishing
 
Thank you Stephanie from Riptide for offering these great prizes.
 
Just fill out the rafflecopter below
All Blogiversary Giveaways end April 6
 
 
 
 

 

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

16 comments:

  1. I'm a total shoulder woman myself (and collarbone too, yowza)! THE CLOSER YOU GET is one of my all-time favorites, and I definitely want to read more of the Market Garden series...

    Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. 3 weeks in London! Awww best pressie ever

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't read any of the Market Garden series but I'm going to be checking them out now!
    suz2(at)cox(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If It Flies is one of the books I want to read next!
    goingtoreadnow (at) gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loved the blurbs! Please count me in. Thanks!!!

    gisu29(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for a great interview! These all sound like great titles. Please count me in. Thanks!
    -Marie
    awindandbooks at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful interview! And thanks for the tasty blurbs. I've read Quid Pro Quo and Take It Off---can't wait for more!
    Urbanista
    brendurbanist at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice interview. I have to say that I have always been jealous of people who could use both of their hands for different things. I can't do much of anything with my left hand unfortunately.
    June
    manning_J2004 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I havent read any of this series but I would love to. I love romance. Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks so much for the interview! You're a woman after my own heart; London, shoulders, & and endless TBR! Love the new book, congrats!
    OceanAkers @ aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh yeah... Dark Soul... I have never read anything like it before and omfg, did I ever freaking love it! <3 lol.. My new fav author~~~


    Judi
    arella3173_loveless@yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for having me, and thanks to everyone who's stopped by! :)

    L.A Witt

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks so much for participating in the awesome blogiversary party!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love finding new series to read.
    lauratroxelatyahoodotcom

    ReplyDelete
  16. Enjoy your three weeks in London. Agree with the bad music. Sometimes the mood is just right for it :)

    lenikaye@yahoo.com

    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"