Take Me: Twelve Tales of Dark Possession Boxed Set
Publication date: February 3rd 2015Genres: Adult, Romance
Surrender to desire with 12 books by the hottest names in dark romance, including bestselling authors Pepper Winters, Anna Zaires, and Lynda Chance.
CD Reiss – Spin
INTERVIEW WITH
CD REISS
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
My name is CD Reiss and I write erotic romance and romantic suspense.
The books are about ambition and art, but also, there are lots of
steamy scenes and boundary pushing.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
I wanted to write something high octane, with life or death stakes. I
also wanted to take a nice girl and find out what would happen if she
fell in love with a criminal. Who would affect who? Would she clean
him up or would he desecrate her? The jury is still out.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
I love Antonio from Spin. You know, he’s actually a good man. A
decent man, but he was raised to be bad, and he just doesn’t know
HOW to be good.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Uhm, there is no hard part. I have the best job in the world.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
Coda is the continuation of Jonathan and Monica’s story from The
Submission Series. It’s book nine, so it’s really hard to talk
about it without spoiling the first eight books….suffice it to say,
Jonathan Drazen is back, and more Dominant, more demanding, more sexy
than ever. If you haven’t read about him yet, you should check out
Beg….book one is free everywhere.
Jenika Snow – A Beautiful Prison
INTERVIEW WITH
JENIKA SNOW
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
My name is Jenika Snow, and I am a #1 Amazon bestselling author in
several sub-genres of Erotic Roamnce. I live in the Northwest and
have been published since 2009. I write erotic romance in the
sub-genres of Contemporary, Dark, Paranormal, and Sci-Fi.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
I have been a dark romance reader for some time, absolutely love
the genre, and have been an avid fan of the authors included. Having
my story, A Beautiful Prison, amongst such great talent and stories
is incredible.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
I have to say I don’t really have a “favorite” character,
but Gavin, the “hero” from A Beautiful Prison, is one of my top
characters. He is ruthless and cold, but when he meets his love
interest, Ruby, a part of him softens toward her. He won’t ever
change, because he is who he is, but he also knows that there was
someone out there for him that could warm his cold heart.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
The hardest part for me is hoping readers like my stories. I
stress every single time, even six years after being published, that
readers will hate my books. I think that is normal for every writer
though.
- Tell us about your upcoming release!
My upcoming release is a darker MC read (the second book in The
Soldiers of Wrath MC) with the talented Sam Crescent. I also have a
couple other stories coming out this month with my publisher.
Pepper Winters – Destroyed
INTERVIEW WITH
PEPPER WINTERS
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
Sure, my name is
Pepper Winters. I speak with an English accent, have been lucky
enough to live in a few countries around the world, and love to write
dark, twisted love stories while in my PJ’s. I’m married to a
French Canadian and have a house rabbit. That’s about it. With
regards to my writing, I’ve always loved getting into the heads of
people. I love to twist their darkest desire and confront their
greatest fear. I find it brings a much deeper story into life.
However, I’m about to release a Contemporary Romance that won’t
be dark and I’m enjoying writing it immensely.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
Destroyed was, and still is to this day, the hardest book I’ve had
to write. It took a lot out of me. The characters didn’t behave and
the plot line went in a completely different direction than the one I
intended. I fought it every step—which made it incredibly hard to
write. However, the book went on to hit the USA Today Bestseller,
Indie Choice, and earned me a publishing deal with Grand Central
(Hachette) publishing. So even though it took so much out of me, it
gave back so much more.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
My favourite character to date. That’s an exceedingly hard
question. Mainly because each book I write there is something I love
about each character. However, if I have to pick, I’m going to
break the rules a little and choose two. Q Mercer from Monsters in
the Dark Series will always have a piece of my heart. He’s so
damaged but so strong. So twisted but so loyal. I loved getting into
his headspace. I’m also falling for Jethro Hawk from the Indebted
Series. He has a lot beneath the surface and my heart breaks for him
with what he has to deal with.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Hardest part is my eyesight currently. Before, I could stare at a
screen for 18 hours a day with no problem. Now, I have to wear
glasses and they get tired very quickly. I can write very fast when
I’m in the zone (up to 13,000 words a day) but unless my eyes are
focusing, it’s hard. I’m lucky that I don’t really deal with
writer’s block. If I do, I’ll get my notepad and pen out and do
some plotting. That always helps get me back on track.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
I have a few coming out. 2015 is going to be my busiest year yet. I
have Second Debt (Indebted #3) coming out on the 26th Jan,
followed by Third Debt (Indebted #4), Forbidden Flaws (Contemporary
Romance), Ruin & Rule (MC Romance 28th July), Fourth
Debt (Indebted #5), Je suis a toi (Monsters in the Dark Novella),
Final Debt (Indebted #6). Busy year! The Indebted Series are a dark
romance dealing with diamonds, debts, and unwavering loyalties.
It was the best kiss
I’d ever received, but also the worst. It sparked lust and need in
every inch of me. My lips wanted more, my tongue wanted savagery. My
skin wanted to bruise because he needed to touch me so badly.
All my thoughts
disappeared as I nipped at his bottom lip. He flinched, but a second
later he copied, his sharp canines piercing my oversensitive flesh.
I moaned.
I couldn’t take
it.
My hands flew up and
gripped his shirt. Yanking him toward me, fireworks whizzed in my
fingertips; my heart galloped toward exploding with lust. I’d never
been so drunk on someone before.
Then I landed flat
on my back.
The crack of my
skull jangled my teeth. The thick carpet did little to cushion me. My
eyes flared wide and I grunted in pain. Fear, hot and terrible,
swamped my lust in a dampening wave.
“Top rule.
Unbreakable rule. Don’t. Ever. Touch. Me.” Fox
kneeled on one knee beside my head, breathing hard. His hand noosed
my throat, pressing my spine into the carpet. His eyes were cold and
lifeless, looking like a hunter intent on blood. –HAZEL
Skye Warren – Trust in Me
INTERVIEW WITH
SKYE WARREN
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
I’m Skye Warren, the New York Times bestselling author of dark
romance! Thank you so much for the opportunity to share my book in
Take Me, which is TRUST IN ME. It explores taboo themes like
captivity and redemption, overlayed with suspense. If you’re up for
something dangerous, disturbing and erotic, take a look…
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
One of the things I love about dark romance is how new it is, how
nebulous the boundaries. With every book, I wonder what other barrier
I can cross. What’s next?
That’s what happened while I was writing Trust in Me last year. All
my books, at their blackened hearts, are romances after all. So there
was a hero… and a villain. It was almost a love triangle, except
the reader knew how the story would end. The good guy gets the girl,
every time. Doesn’t he?
This is fiction, and dark erotica at that. If there’s any place a
villain can find a happy ending, it’s here. And what does
redemption mean anyway? When do you deserve a second chance? These
are the questions explored in TRUST IN ME.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
Ooh, that’s a tough one. I have a real soft spot for Mia in TRUST
IN ME, because I felt her so strongly and so completely. Sometimes I
have to dig for a character’s voice and backstory, but she showed
up fully formed—and insisted on telling her story.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Nothing
and everything. I love the actual writing, coming up with a story and
falling in love with them. But reader expectation is such a tough
thing—it’s tough in any genre but has particular challenges for
dark books. Even the word dark
means different things to different readers. But ultimately I can
only write the books I love and hope that my readers enjoy them.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
I haven’t shared too much information about my upcoming release
yet, but it’s the start of a new series. It’s dark, sexy,
suspenseful—and with a sweeter edge that I’ve enjoyed writing.
Readers can sign up for my newsletter to get notified of my new
release: Newsletter
Kendall Ryan – Unravel Me
INTERVIEW WITH
KENDALL RYAN
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
Hello! I’m Kendall and I write naughty books. There, I said it. I
felt the need to get that off my chest. I have 14 novels published
both indie and traditional and I’m drawn to forbidden romance.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
Unravel Me consumed me. I wrote it the fastest I’ve ever written a
book… in just 16 days. It was INSANE! And I still love that story.
It’s about a woman who’s a PhD student writing her thesis on
amnesia… her subject is man with amnesia whose been admitted to a
mental hospital.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
Ah! I have no idea. I love troubled sex addict Knox, I love male
model Ben with the filthiest mouth I’ve ever heard. I can’t
chose!
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Everything. Writing books is HARD and sometimes agonizing for me.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
My upcoming release is FILTHY BEAUTIFUL FOREVER, it’s the 4th
and final book in the New York Times & USA Today bestselling
FILTHY BEAUTIFUL LIES series, but can also be read as a standalone
novel. It’s about 30-year old mega successful alpha male
billionaire Collins Drake who made a promise to marry his best friend
when he was 10 years old, and when she shows up at his door all these
years later, his life gets completely knocked on its ass.
Anna Zaires & Dima Zales – Twist Me
INTERVIEW WITH
ANNA ZAIRES
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
I’m Anna
Zaires, and I write contemporary dark erotic romance and sci-fi
erotic romance in collaboration with my husband, sci-fi and fantasy
author Dima Zales.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
I’ve been
fascinated by captivity-themed romances from an indecently young age.
Old Harlequins, 80s bodice rippers – they were all an inspiration
for this book. I wanted to explore a captivity story in a modern
setting, with a heroine who was fully conscious of the wrongness of
the situation—and thus, Twist Me was born.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
Ooh, that’s a
tough one. I’d say my current favorite is Nora, just because I’m
deep into writing Hold Me (Twist Me #3). Truthfully, though, I
tend to fall in love with all my heroines (and heroes!) while I’m
writing their story.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
I have trouble
shutting up my inner critic while I’m writing the first draft. I
end up editing each sentence as I go along, which slows me down quite
a bit (but speeds up the subsequent editing process :)).
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
The next book I
intend to release is Hold Me, which is the third (and probably
final) book in the Twist Me series. It’s my most emotionally
complex story to date, and writing it is tearing me to pieces.
Shay Savage – Otherwise Alone & Otherwise Occupied
INTERVIEW WITH
SHAY SAVAGE
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
Hello!
I’m Shay Savage, and I write action-adventure romance/erotica
novels, primarily from the male point of view. The men I write about
are typically alpha males and very “manly men,” often violent,
and usually somewhat emotionally screwed up. They’re hit men,
alcoholics, and cavemen in a very literal sense! My books aren’t
always pretty stories, but I guarantee you’ll end up feeling
something!
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
The
character of Evan Arden was inspired by a lot of things, including
many of my friends who have served overseas and come back different
than they were before. Evan suffers from PTSD in a big way, and I’ve
attempted to bring those feelings to the reader. The original
inspiration was a simple request for a story about a man and his dog,
and Evan’s Great Pyrenees, Odin, definitely plays a big part in the
series.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
I
love to write about broken bad boys – they are so much more
interesting than others! Evan is definitely my favorite. He’s
wonderfully damaged and terribly violent. You may not like what he
does, but you’ll feel for him. He has a sweet side for sure, but
doesn’t show it often. He incredibly intelligent and insightful,
but often can’t see the forest with all those trees in the way.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Developing
auxiliary characters can always be a struggle. I want the focus to
be on the main couple, but they usually have to interact with others
at some point. From the standpoint of writing erotica specifically,
it takes a lot of effort to keep sex scenes fresh and interesting.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
Though
I do have a couple of books in the pipeline, including additional
stories about Evan Arden, I don’t have a release scheduled just
yet. My most recent release was Alarm – a story about a woman who
gets pulled out of her humdrum life by a sexy and exciting man
covered in tattoos, and ends up getting in over her head. It’s
about learning to live, dealing with death, and what happens when we
judge people based on their outward appearance. It’s a fun and
sexy read – check it out!
Amber Lin & Shari Slade – Three Nights with a Rock Star
INTERVIEW WITH
SHARI SLADE AND AMBER LIN
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
Hi, I’m Shari Slade and I write contemporary erotic romance and new
adult. I write gritty stories about people who make terrible choices
in the name of love (or lust). Somehow it all works out in the end.
People have described my work as passionate, bittersweet, and
blisteringly hot. When I’m not writing, wrangling a handful of
surly pets, or smooching my husband, I’m a worker bee in the
nonprofit sector. I also spend entirely too much time on facebook,
twitter, and tumblr.
*waves* I’m Amber Lin! I co-write the Half-Life rock star series
with Shari Slade. I’m mostly along for the ride…
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
Shari Slade: If I remember correctly, Amber Lin and I were tossing
around story ideas for solo projects and somehow got on the subject
of callused hands. As you do. Logically, those callused hands led us
to a rock star and a Sunday school teacher and a sex contract. That
isn’t logical? It is for us. It’s how we ended up with super-sexy
Three Nights with a Rock Star.
Amber Lin: I looked through our old brainstorming emails. I won’t
share the whooole thing, and it probably wouldn’t make sense to the
general public anyway, but there was this part where I said: “God,
callused hands are amazing. Really big ones. With nimble fingers.”
And then Shari replied with “Callused hands are an excellent place
to start. So, yes!!! Let's do a rock star and a nerdy girl BECAUSE
REASONS.”
So off we went!
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
Shari Slade: I hate to pick favorites and I’m pretty sure I give a
different answer every time someone asks, but right now Lock is my
favorite. Lock is the growly front-man of Half-Life, all charisma and
animal sex appeal.
Amber Lin: I’m a bit partial to the heroines myself. I’m sure
there’s a reason for that, but I can’t think what ;-)
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Shari Slade: Making the time to write is so difficult. Between my day
job, family demands, and the siren song of social media, there are
never enough hours in the day. Sometimes I just have to unplug, put a
“do not disturb unless on fire” sign on the door, and get it
done.
Amber Lin: Carving out the space and time and mental focus to do it
is definitely the hardest part. Having a co-writer makes it
infinitely easier and harder ;-)
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
Shari Slade: Up next in 2015 I’ll have another gritty rocker
romance co-written with Amber Lin, Second Chance with a Rock Star.
I’ll also be releasing a dark contemporary new adult romance,
Finding Always.
Amber Lin: I’m super excited about the third book in the Half-Life
series. Moe is a powerhouse! As for my personal releases, I have BIG
plans for 2015, but you’ll have to hang around to find out. You can
sign up for my newsletter at authoramberlin.com
Pam Godwin – Deliver
INTERVIEW WITH
PAM GODWIN
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write? I live in the Midwest with my husband and our two children. I’m a coffee-addicted, sleepless vegetarian with a love for writing the dark and suspenseful side of romance.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me? A local news story about a sex-trafficking operation made me fearfully aware that this is happening in our own backyards, behind the gates of our own communities, in family-friendly suburbs. To raise awareness, I set Deliver in a Texas neighborhood with unsuspecting villains and a victim who could be your best friend, your brother, or your son.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why? Van Quiso (in Deliver and Vanquish) is a sex-trafficker, rapist, and all-around unsavory character. Peeling him apart and exposing his broken and poisoned insides was a delicate process, but one I thoroughly enjoyed and learned from.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you? Deadlines. The rush at the end, the caffeine-fueled all-nighters, and the second-guessing and self-criticizing that comes in the final lap are hell on my nerves. But ahhhh, when those final words are written, it’s an amazing feeling.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release! Dirty Ties is a departure from my edgier writing. It’s a crime/action novel filled with illegal motorcycle racing, corporate corruption, lies, betrayal, torquey horsepower, and loads of steamy romance.
Lynda Chance – Marco’s Redemption
INTERVIEW
WITH LYNDA CHANCE
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
My name is Lynda Chance and I live in Galveston County, Texas. I’ve
been married for a whole crap ton of years and have two grown
children who live in the Dallas area. I write erotic romances that
contain an over-the-top alpha-male hero. The books I write aren’t
‘dark’ per se, but the hero is so obsessed that they might come
off that way. One promise I’ve always made to my readers is that my
heroes will never cheat.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me? I really had no rhyme or reason for writing Marco’s Redemption—a scene came to me (the bathroom/dress scene toward the end of the book) and I just developed the characters around that scene.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why? I really couldn’t choose—Maybe Logan Crenshaw from ‘Pursuit’? I’ve loved him so much that I’ve written two short stories about his relationship with Lauren. He’s just so insanely protective and possessive about her—crazy with it. (The short stories are free and can stand-alone, wink, wink.)
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you? That’s an easy question. Plotting. I hate plotting. I despise plotting—can’t do it and suck at it. –I always want to get straight to the meat of the story—which is when my alpha-male sees his woman for the first time and goes ape-shit crazy in territorial lust. Who has time for plotting when sex scenes are calling?
-
Tell us about your upcoming release! The fourth book in the ‘House of Rule’ series is coming out soon. The first three books were about the Rule brothers and the empire they built together. This story is going to center around their business enemy who reaches out and basically just takes their younger sister for himself. Max and Erin’s story has been fun to write because I’m letting Max off his leash.
Gemma James – Torrent
INTERVIEW FOR
GEMMA JAMES
-
Can you introduce yourself and tell us what kind of books you write?
My name is Gemma James, writer of a mixture of genres, including
dark romance, erotica, new adult, and suspense. Most of my work is
dark and erotic, though I’ve written one book that isn’t. I like
to push boundaries in my books and make jaws drop.
-
What inspired you to write the book included in Take Me?
Torrent is the product of two ideas. I actually have Skye Warren
to thank for the second. She put out a call for submissions for short
stories about criminals. I wanted to write a story for that
anthology, but the idea became too big for a short, so I merged it
with an earlier story I’d begun, and thus, Torrent was born.
-
Who is your favorite character that you’ve written and why?
Tough question. I’d have to say Gage from the Devil’s Kiss
series. He is so stubborn and set in his ways, and he won’t
hesitate to go to extremes for what he wants. That whole series holds
a special place in my heart because it was my first taste of writing
anything that dark or erotic.
-
What is the hardest part of writing for you?
Working past my hang-ups. My need for perfectionism makes me
freeze up a lot. I write with a maddening stop-and-go process, which
drives me nuts.
-
Tell us about your upcoming release!
Currently, I’m working on the third book in the Condemned series
(Torrent is the first book). It’s titled Fervent, and hopefully
it’ll be the conclusion to the series. I say hopefully because I
write by the seat of my pants, so I never really know where a book or
series is going until I get there. The tentative release date is
scheduled for late March.
No comments:
Post a Comment