RELEASE DAY AKA SEQUEL TIME!!!

I’ve been dying for this book to be released ever since I wrote what became my debut book for Harlequin Mills & Boon, THE PRICE OF SUCCESS.

It's sequel, HIS ULTIMATE PRIZE was a joy to write. I know most writers say that but the truth is some books are tough, and some books, like this one, just FLOW. I know in most part it was because Rafael had been waiting a while to have his story told, and boy did that man have a lot to say!

Anyway, he got his wish and his official outing today.

And the good news is, not only do you get to read how Rafael wins Raven's heart, his brother Marco and his lovely heroine Sasha, have somehow also managed to slip in there! So my dear blog friends and readers, you’re getting what my US friends like to call a Twofer and we on this side of the Pond refer to as a BOGOF!!

If you looooove bad boys as much as I do, then this is the book for you. If you haven’t read Marco’s story (why not?!) and would love to read my debut Harlequin, then this is the book for you, too. Really, it’s a win win!

Here’s the blurb for both. 

HIS ULTIMATE PRIZE:

Winning is everything 

Rafael de Cervantes was a devil behind the wheel and in the bedroom until his near-fatal crash. To mask his pain? He'll seduce his beautiful physio, Raven Blass! 

Knowing she's responsible for his scars, will Raven risk discovery for one glorious night in Rafael's bed? 

THE PRICE OF SUCCESS:

Owner of the Espiritu racing team, tycoon Marco de Cervantes thinks he knows exactly what's going on inside Sasha Fleming's pretty little head...She's clearly not above using her wide-eyed beauty and tempting curves to become Espiritu's first female racing driver. The infuriating thing is - she's the best driver around! Marco's willing to reap any rewards...on and off the track...but he couldn't be more wrong about Sasha. Unlike the socialites that flock round him she has no interest in being a billionaire's trophy wife - and she wills her body to prove this to him. But success always comes at a price! 

Having held the book in my hand, I can assure you it’s the perfect weight for a Christmas stocking ;) So go on, get it out – your Christmas stocking, not your, er….never mind.

Get it out and get stuffing :) And if you leave me a lovely comment, one of you will win a signed copy of your very own to stuff your stocking with!

Good Luck & Happy Reading.

Maya

x

October Releases

This month the Minxes are thrilled to announce two releases.

The first is the debut release of Minx Sri's A Hint of Scandal! We've been waiting with bated breath since Sri's fabulous call last year and we couldn't be more pleased to share it with our fabulous blog readers. So without further ado,

A HINT OF SCANDAL

Blurb:

Notorious socialite in over her head? Olivia Stanton's name has been synonymous with scandal—every bad choice scrutinized in the headlines—but she's finally getting herself together. That is, until her twin sister disappears right before her wedding and Olivia's needed to stand in—as the bride! 

Alexander King's ruthless determination for perfection is world renowned and he'll make Olivia pay for her latest stunt—by enforcing their marriage vows! He expects her to be the model wife in public. And in private? With her feisty attitude and his strong will, it won't be long before the tension between them reaches boiling point. 

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble

Our second release is Maya's MARRIAGE MADE OF SECRETS.

Blurb:

After the confetti settles…

It takes an earthquake for billionaire businessman Cesare di Goia to realize what's important in life. His wife may have become a stranger, but he's determined to keep his young daughter close.

Returning to the luxurious Lake Como palazzo with her daughter, Ava di Goia feels like an outsider in what was once their home. Although the bond between them is still undeniable, the memories, tarnished rings and broken promises make it clear that the secrets that drove them apart are still unresolved….

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Barnes & Noble

Go get your copies now!

Review: The Price of Success

The advantage of belonging to a critique group as large as the Minxes, is that when life gets hectic and one of your CPs needs their manuscript read, there's always someone else able to stepin and you're not under pressure to do a critique.

Which is how I managed to read Maya's The Price of Success completely fresh, just as a reader, and without having to think of things like sentence structure or character inconsistencies.

As a reader, I loved this book. As I said in my previous post, it's set in the world of motor racing (my favourite sport), with a truly strong, feisty heroine (my favourite kind of heroine), and a hero I could easily fall in love with (and did).

This story has all the intensity and passion that is Maya's trademark, and she manages to keep the sensuality levels high and constant with surprisingly few actual love scenes. From cover to cover the chemistry sizzles.

As a writer, I'm very aware of saggy middles in a book, perhaps because it's the part I struggle most with. This book doesn't sag at all. The pace is unrelenting, the story and characters so gripping, that I kept turning the pages and never once felt an urge to put the book down. No wonder Maya's been getting such great reviews and made the Top 10 books of 2012 list on Harlequin Junkies.

But my biggest, number one reason for loving The Price of Success? The references to The Vampire Diaries. Read the book and see if you can spot them!

So what's next from Maya? Happily, there will be many more Maya Blake novels for you to enjoy.  Her next book, The Sinful Art of Revenge, will be available in both the UK and North America in April 2013. This is Damon and Reiko's story and features another unconventional heroine. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

The Price of Success should still be available in all brick-and-mortar stores that stock Harlequins, as well as on the Mills & Boon site, from Harlequin, Amazon and Amazon UK in both paperback and Kindle versions. However you plan to spend this holiday season, treat yourself with this read.

But don't take my word for it. Read this book and post your own review. Or leave us a comment letting us know how much you enjoyed Maya's debut novel.

Chicken soup and the Price of Success

Our very own Maya Blake was supposed to be here on the blog this week talking up her debut Harlequin Presents novel, The Price of Success. However Maya is laid up in bed with really terrible flu, so I thought I’d step in instead.

Since I’m scheduled to post about this book next week, I’m not going to talk about this story (with its strong, smart, unconventional heroine, and very Alpha, very irresistible hero). I’m going to talk about Maya instead.

Maya is every bit as strong and sassy as the heroines she writes.
She’s a Superwoman. She has a demanding, high-powered day job, two kids, and a husband in an equally demanding day job which occasionally takes him away from home. Maya not only manages all this (like many of the other Superwomen we know) but she still makes time to write intense, emotional and very sexy romances. And I know, as I’ve been privileged to read quite a few Maya Blake stories. (You’re just going to have to be satisfied with The Price of Success and her Blaze story for now, but I promise you won’t have to wait long. There’s more Maya Blake goodness coming your way soon).

Maya is a not a woman who messes around. She’s been known to pull all-nighters to write when she’s inspired (or on a deadline) and you know that anyone who goes to a hectic day job after writing all night is seriously crazy dedicated.

She also doesn’t let any of us Minxes mess around either. Maya is the wielder of the Big Minxy Stick. The Stick may be virtual but it’s still scary, and it’s been known to whip at least one Minxy butt back into line. If any of us is suffering from a case of Acute Procrastination, Maya’s Big Stick is the wonder cure.

Maya is also our staunchest defender, ready to leap in with that Big Stick in our hour of need. Have any Crows of Doubt, dodgy exes, or pesky cold callers you need dealing with? Just call Maya.
So now, in her time of need, I’m going to ask all our Minxy friends and blog readers to join me in creating a wonder cure for Maya’s flu.

We’re going to make her feel better by telling her how much we love her book. If you haven’t read it yet (and why not? It’s been on sale in stores and e-stores everywhere for at least a week!) then tell us why you loved the blurb and/or cover so much that you just have to read it.

I’m going to start by saying that I love The Price of Success because it’s set against a motor racing background and like Maya I’m a massive fan of Formula One motor racing. My fanship was guaranteed before I even opened my copy and read the dedication!

So why do you love The Price of Success? And remember that every comment is a virtual bowl of chicken soup, so keep them coming.

And don't forget - The Price of Success is available direct from Mills & Boon, Amazon and Amazon UK.

Good News!!

It's been a Good News week at Minxy Manor this week, but by far the best has to be:

SRI'S CALL!!!!

Yes, our very own Sri Pammi got The Call from Harlequin Presents yesterday morning! You can read her story on her blog here.

Well done, Sri!

The Minxes are so proud of you,and incredibly pleased that we can share in your triumph. 

Courtesy http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Watch this space for more fantastic news...

Author Spotlight - Chantelle Shaw

We're delighted to welcome Mills and Boon Modern author, Chantelle Shaw, to the minx blog today. Here are Chantelle's answers to the minx inquisition! (I must just add that I'm totally with her on the ironing...)

What is your writing process?
I aim to be in my office by 9 a.m. five days a week. My office is actually a glorified garden shed – with carpet! I used to have my desk in a corner of the bedroom which wasn’t great, especially as my youngest son used to sit on my bed and watch TV while I was trying to work.
After checking emails I write until lunchtime, which sounds good but I get up and make endless cups of coffee. I’d like to say that lunch is something healthy involving lettuce, but I’d be lying! In the afternoon I write until 3 when I pick my son up from school. At the beginning of a book I then go back and write until 5 or 6, but as a deadline approaches I often keep going until 8pm with a brief break to serve something burnt and inedible to husband and kids. It sounds like I spend a huge amount of time writing, but actually I stare out of the window a lot!

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?
It’s my job, and apart from the odd day when I want to throw a brick through my computer screen it’s a job I love and feel very lucky to have. The way I see it is that my husband can’t decide to give work a miss one morning so why should I? Having said that, some days are much more productive than others, but if I’m not writing my conscience says I should be doing housework or dare I mention the ironing word! Trying to force a story out of my head is better than that!

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
Hysterical laughter! I really wish I did. I don’t like the gym but love walking and I do try to go for a brisk 30 min walk every day – but it doesn’t always happen. Life, kids and deadlines mean that some days I don’t do any exercise, hence spreading bottom!

Do you believe in writer's block?
Not exactly writer’s block, but there’s no doubt that some days the words and ideas flow and on others writing feels like wading through treacle and I’m lucky if I manage to produce a couple of hundred words. I think the best thing is to write something, even if you know it’s rubbish, just to keep things moving along. And try not to panic!

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?
No – I write about sexy Alpha-male billionaires and sadly there aren’t any in the tiny Kent village where I live. Everything I write is from my imagination, but sometimes a newspaper or magazine article will trigger an idea.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?
It’s even harder work than I imagined. I write 3 books a year for Harlequin M&B. So far I’ve always met my deadline, but usually there are revisions and the process of the book being accepted can take up to a month, which leaves 3 months to come up with a proposal for the next book, convince my editor it’s a great idea and then get the book written. The shortest time I’ve had to write a 50k word book is 6 weeks and I felt pressurised, but actually it turned out to be a great book – maybe because the story was constantly in my head and there was no time to faff about!

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?
I have a website – www.chantelleshaw.com and I’m in the process of setting up a blog on the site so that I can update my news more regularly. But this is the difficult bit – nothing ever happens to me! I don’t live a jet-setting lifestyle; I write, wash football kit and cook very badly. So far I’m not on Facebook or Twitter because to be honest I’m not the most sociable person and I’m quite happy living inside my head, with occasional forays into the real world! I think I should come out of my cave and promote myself more, but I’m worried that more distractions could lead to less writing getting done, and if I don’t produce books there’s no point in promotion. I guess it’s all a balance.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?
Do more than I do! Setting up a website seems a good start.

What did you learn while writing this book?
BEHIND THE CASTELLO DOORS is set in Sardinia, so I learned a lot about the island. I always do more research than goes into the books, but I need to be able to see in my head the country or place a story is set in and Google images is great for that. I think with this book I also learned (or am trying to learn) that my plots don’t need to be so complicated and to focus even more on my characters and delve deeper into their emotions.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?
It’s slightly gothic, set in a castle and I just let my imagination fly. (Had to curb it slightly at the revisions stage)! My excuse is that I wrote it shortly after watching all three Lord of the Rings films and I was (am) totally in love with Aragorn, played by gorgeous hunk Viggo Mortensen.

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Cesario is quite a solitary person – the strong, brooding type, so I think he would take Beth somewhere remote and beautiful where they could be alone – maybe he would rent a private Tahitian island.

And here's a little more about Chantelle's latest release...

BEHIND THE CASTELLO DOORS

Torment on his doorstep - Cesario Pira, brooding master of the Castello del Falco, wasn’t prepared for the visitor who turned up on his doorstep during a raging storm – or for the little bundle bearing the Piras name she had in tow. Cesario’s head screamed Run, but his damaged heart began to betray him. Beth Granger knew the moment she knocked on the castle door that there was no going back. She had a job to do. But the moment Cesario looked deep into her pleading eyes her faultless plan crumbled around her…

Behind the Castello Doors is available here: www.millsandboon.co.uk/ &  www.amazon.co.uk/

Thank you for being minxy today, Chantelle!

We got The Call!

Do you hear all that cheering around Blogland, and the popping of champagne corks? It's because Maya Minx has sold to Harlequin Presents!!

We are all so proud of her, and we know the rest of the world is going to love Maya's stories just as much as we Minxes do. We promise, you're in for a treat.

Come join in the celebrations! There's a party on the new eHarlequin community boards, and you can read Maya's Call Story in full on her blog. Please leave comments to show your love, and for every comment you're entitled to one free glass of virtual chocolate. (Yes, you read that right).

Congratulations, Maya!

Author Spotlight - Sharon Kendrick

The Minxes are very excited today to welcome USA Today Bestselling author Sharon Kendrick to chat with the Minxes today :-)

Thanks so much for being with us today, Sharon!



What is your writing process?

I’m not sure that I have a *process* because every book is different. Sometimes I start with a man who wants me to tell his story. Sometimes it’s a woman. Or I might have a scene which I can see very clearly in my mind. Then I need to weave some kind of compelling thread which links them all together. Having said that, sometimes the scene that I loved so much just doesn’t work – and then it ends up being deleted. I can be ruthless about ditching stuff – particularly at the beginning - because if my story isn’t writing fluidly, then I can’t continue.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I have a confession. For me, buying shoes is like a trip to the dentist when you have an unexplained nagging in one of your molars. You’re screwing your face up in astonishment, right? A romantic novelist who isn’t orgasming over shoes? But let me explain my unfashionable aversion… my feet are so big that getting anything to fit takes a miracle. It they look half-way decent, it’s a bonus. I’m Cinderella in reverse! But to address the main point of your question: I consider writing to be a job, just like any other job. So, just as someone who (say) worked in a bank, wouldn’t dream of saying to a customer, “I’m really sorry, but I’m just not that into it today” – neither would I. If I’m really stuck, I might go and make a coffee or watch some trash TV – but I’m always back at my desk twenty minutes later. Whether I then choose to surf the Net or to lose myself on Twitter is up to me, but I know that if I have got a couple of thousand words down by the end of the day – I’ll feel considerably better than if I have the horror of having made no progress. And even a bad writing day will always yield something good.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer? 

I do. For me, exercise is imperative. It gives me ideas, clears my mind – oh, and it helps combat my natural greed by making my bottom less big than it should be (though never as small as I’d like it to be!). I run. I walk. I do one of those classes where you lift weights up and down. And since spending a week with a friend and his personal trainer in Italy, I have now (very reluctantly) started doing some interval training.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I do believe in block and for me, there’s only one reason for it. Quite simply, the story isn’t working. When dialogue between your two main protagonists is forced, then your characters aren’t real. When your story isn’t flowing, you need to go back and fix it.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

It’s impossible not to use incidents from real life, but seen through my eyes they may bear little resemblance to the original! Gathering inspiration from the world around them is as essential to the writer as gathering grapes is to the vintner. Obviously, I’m careful!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

You know when people say: “It was like a dream come true”? Well, that’s exactly what it’s like – and I always guessed it would feel that way.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

I do radio and newspaper interviews and have appeared on national television. I blog (not very consistently!) over at www.sharonkendrick.com I Tweet @Sharon-Kendrick (and would love your readers to follow me!) The main way I strive to reach more readers is by writing the very best book I can, so hopefully they will come back and read more – and tell their friends to do the same.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Always be charming to journalists and they’ll remember you. Be original. Embrace social media and get your local newspaper to do a feature on you. Be memorable. But the main tip is to be so damned proud of your book, that you’ll want to tell everyone just how great it is – and hopefully, that will snowball.

What did you learn while writing this book?

That you can never put too much emotion onto the page.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

Becoming Francesca (my heroine) and falling madly in love with Zahid (the hero).

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

I think he might take her back to Morocco – because they had such a flaming row last time they were there!

Monarch of the Sands


An impossible love affair--with a Sheikh!

Francesca is shocked when family friend Zahid Al Hakam turns up on her doorstep. After all, he's now the Sheikh of Khayarzah--England's surburbia is hardly his regular stomping ground! But he is as achingly gorgeous as ever...and she's certainly tempted by his invitation to come to the desert and work for him. Zahid finds the geeky, gauche teenager he once knew is now an understated beauty. Embarking on a secret affair is bittersweet--but, however all-consuming their passion, Zahid's duty to his kingdom must surely come first?

Monarch of the Sands is still available at Amazon UK and Mills & Boon and has now released at Amazon US and if you're lucky enough to be in the UK, Sharon's latest Sheikh is available now over at Mills & Boon!!

Book Review: Once A Ferrara Wife by Sarah Morgan

Before I knuckle down to review this book I must warn you that I have a serious girl-crush on this author. Her writing makes me want to track her down and tackle-hug her just for being so, so, soooo brilliant!! Ahem.

Once A Ferrara Wife is a reunion/marriage-in-trouble story with a neat twist that will have you on the edge of your seat, or like me, feverishly reading but secretly hoping the story goes on and on and on…!

Cristiano Ferrara and Laurel were married for only short while before incredibly horrible circumstances drove her to leave. Now she’s back in Sicily to attend the wedding of her best friend, who also happens to be Cristiano’s sister. From the very first page sparks fly between these two. Laurel doesn’t want to be there because of heart-wrenching memories, and Cristiano’s seriously ticked off because she walked away from their marriage.

But what makes this book stand out, I hear you ask. From the very first page, it’s Cristiano who is pouring out his feelings, risking his heart and fighting desperately for the marriage to work. Laurel on the other hand is a completely closed book. Circumstances in her past have made her untrustworthy and she would rather skin herself alive than reveal even an ounce of feeling. To say this neat twist was seriously sexy is an understatement. Hearing an alpha male say, “I’m crazy about you. I’ve always been crazy about you,” (paraphrasing) in the first few scenes makes for a completely different kind of hero, in my opinion.

Laurel’s journey was equally awe-inspiring. The pain of losing her child and the difficult journey of learning to trust the husband she thought had betrayed her in the cruellest possible way made my heart melt for her. I couldn’t even bring myself to hate her when I found out she was a fitness instructor with a body to die for, lol.

Seriously, this is a must-buy and definitely a must-keep. And a little bird told me (well, it was Sarah herself via the Harlequin Blog) that Cristiano’s hot brother, Santino’s getting his own story! All I can say it, I can’t wait for The Forbidden Ferrara to come out in May! In the scenes where he featured in his brother's story, my heart missed a few beats for him too ;)

Now for the even brilliant bit. I have a copy of Once A Ferrara Wife to give away to one lucky non-Minx commenter.

Just tell me the best book you read in 2011 for a chance to win, and good luck!

Author Spotlight - Natasha Tate

We're honoured today to welcome Natasha Tate, one of the newly acquired Harlequin Presents authors.

Welcome, Natasha! Take it away...

What is your writing process?
My writing process varies, depending on how close I am to my deadline. When I’m in first draft mode, I tend to write at a more leisurely pace. I find I spend time writing a lot of narrative and dialogue, trying to figure out what resonates, what feels awkward, and who my characters want to be. I typically write this part of the book while walking on my treadmill, and can log as much as 10 miles in a day. After I’ve written about half the book, it either takes off or I have to go back to the drawing board because I haven’t settled on my characters’ inner conflicts yet. If my characters are muddled, I have a really hard time moving forward. But once I’ve written enough to settle on a theme and my characters’ inner conflicts, then the writing really starts to gel. I abandon my treadmill and commit to having my butt in the chair because multitasking too much slows my pace. Sometimes, when the inner conflicts come to me early on, I can write a book in less than a month. But at other times, when I’ve danced around the theme for what feels like forever, it can take up to three months. My hope is that one of these days, I’ll be able to figure out the inner conflicts and theme before I’ve written 25K words!

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I am pretty type A in just about every area of my life. I set goals, have spreadsheets that track my word count, and would rather lose an arm than miss a deadline. I’m also a people pleaser, so I tend to be one of those annoying “turn-it-in-early” types. If I’ve got a four month contract, I set my weekly goals based on a three month schedule. That way, if something unexpected comes up (like that can’t-miss-it shoe sale), I can take a day off with upping my stress level too much. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that I grew up with a military father and suffered through a regimen of white glove inspections and demerits. I wake up at 4:30 AM in the morning at least five days a week to keep all my various plates spinning, and since I also have a full time day job, slacking off when I have time to write is just not an option.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?
I work out at a local gym in the mornings and I walk on the treadmill while I’m writing. I used to walk at the gym, but fitting writing into the day has meant that I can’t waste too much time on an activity that only works my body. So I’ve started running, just so I can burn the same number of calories in less time.

Do you believe in writer's block?

I believe that my writing only gets blocked when the story or the characters are blocked. If characters aren’t behaving in a way that is properly motivated, the writing stalls. I can still produce pages and word count, but the story doesn’t work and I don’t really move forward until I have a handle on how the characters need to change. So if by writer’s block you mean staring at a screen and producing nothing, then no, I do not believe in it. But if it means that you’ve hit a wall and you have to burrow through it through sheer force of will, then yes. It’s alive and thriving.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?
Fortunately, I haven’t had to rely on real life incidents yet. I’m still relatively new and I have enough fantasy incidents that have been living in my head to populate stories for a while yet. But when those run out, I may have to start digging a little deeper for inspiration. I suppose in a pinch, my in-laws could supply a lot of fodder for my writing. They’re good natured enough that they probably wouldn’t punish me too harshly for exploiting them!

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

Since I have so many friends who’ve entered the published ranks ahead of me, I think my expectations have been more realistic than those who plunge into the publishing world with little ramp up time. I will say, however, that I’ve had to adjust my time management a bit more than I expected, simply because there are other tasks writers must do in addition to writing. Now, I find I need to allocate time to updating my website, responding to fans (the best part of my new writing life yet!), mailing out books for reviews, and juggling all the various components of promotion. Before I was published, I had far more flexibility with my timelines. Now that I’m on a three books per year schedule, I can’t take a month off to focus on the day job. Things are a lot tighter than I expected them to be.

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?
I’m really, really fortunate to write for Harlequin Presents, which takes a lot of promotional pressure off of me. The brand itself sells better than anything I could singlehandedly do to promote myself, so it grants me a bit of breathing room to learn as I go. My first priority was to have a website built, and that took a while to find a designer (Rae Monet did an awesome job for me!), settle on a website that matched my vision and voice, and get it populated with content. Keeping that up to date requires a bit of time, so that’s always the first item on my promotional to-do list. I also have a blog and a twitter account, though those have taken the back seat until I finish this current book. I’m also presenting a workshop at the Emerald City Writers’ Conference this year with my good friend Candis Terry, so hopefully, that will help to get some name recognition for me and help me give back a little to the writing community who has helped me so much over the years. I’ve also created author pages on the amazon.com websites, Harlequin offers an author bio on their site, and I participate in various blogs as an invited guest. (Yeah Minxes!)

What is your top promo tip for other authors?
Definitely have a professional website built, and have it up and running before your first book hits the shelves. I believe that this is where readers will go first to find information about you and your books. Its value cannot be underplayed.

What did you learn while writing this book?
I learned that my voice actually works better with contemporaries than with historicals! For years, I’d focused on historicals to no avail. Discovering that I had the ability to write a book set in the here and now was a real eye opener for me.

What was the most fun part of writing this book?

The best part of writing this book was how escapist it felt. I love the whole Presents promise, and diving into a story that fit the line felt like I was playing instead of working! I loved layering in the drama, the glamour, the emotion, and the heightened sensual tension into my story. It felt like I was creating a wonderful dessert and a guilty pleasure all at once. Writing a story where two wounded characters find their way to love and forgiveness is a catharsis all its own, and I loved every minute of it!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?
Ethan’s honeymoon destination of choice would be the idyllic Caribbean island he purchased from Cate, of course! What better place to seduce his lovely new bride than the birthplace of their love?

Blurb from An Inconvenient Obsession:

The Carrington family's island is up for auction…

Now, that's an invitation Ethan Hardesty just can't refuse. This groundskeeper's son turned global entrepreneur has it all. All, that is, except a piece of the Carrington estate—the island that holds all his most pleasurable and painful memories.

Ethan doesn't count on the beautiful Cate Carrington handling the transaction—and providing him with the perfect opportunity to take her into the bargain. But toying with the woman who was once the girl he loved and lost soon turns from a game into an all-out obsession…

Natasha is giving away a copy of An Inconvenient Obsession to one lucky non-Minx reader, so don't forget to leave a comment!

Links to purchase:

eharlequin store

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Thanks so much for being here today, Natasha! It's been great getting to know you :)