You’ve heard the arguments: romance is unrealistic. It sets wild expectations for modern-day folks who will never have that happily-ever-after experience. It’s not possible in our chaotic world. To that I say, bull!

Want proof?

“When Herman Rosenblat was a teenager, he was in a Nazi death camp in Schlieben, Germany. Roma Radziki, a girl a couple years younger, worked at a farm outside the camp. The two saw each other on opposite sides of the fence one day and Roma threw Herman an apple. This continued every day, but the two never spoke because they were scared the guards would see them. Then, one day Herman told Roma she wouldn’t see him anymore. He thought he was going to die, but then the Russians came in and liberated the camp, and Herman ended up going to London to be an electrician. Meanwhile, Roma went to nursing school in Israel. Later, Herman moved to America and a friend told him he wanted to fix him up on a blind date. Reluctantly, Herman went, and as he and his date talked about their wartime experiences, Roma mentioned throwing apples over a fence to a boy. Herman said, “That was me” and proposed to her that night. Two months later she accepted, and this year, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.” [The Frisky]

Talk about beating insurmountable odds! And concidences galore. If I tried to write the blind date scenario, readers would probably toss the book against the wall for being unrealistic. But truth really is stranger than fiction… and romance, in all its wild, wonderful and unpredictable glory, really does exist.

I’ve been interviewed by the lovely Beth Kery about my new release, Better Than Chocolate. She’s graciously allowed me to share the interview here.

1. Your stories all are scorching steamy, but this one struck me as being even more so. It sounds as this woman is being forced to face all her most erotic, darkest fantasies whether she likes it or not! Do you ever find yourself ‘rating’ in your mind the ’sexy’ factors of your stories, for instance, this was is spicy, this one smoking, this one boiling? Where might you rate BTC?

Definitely! Especially these days, when publishers, editors and readers demand hotter and hotter books. What used to be risque and titillating a couple of years ago will now only elicit a yawn. Every time one of my publishers releases sales numbers, authors are beaten over the head with one message: HOT, HOT, HOTTER! Readers want heroes and heroines swinging from the chandeliers, having sex in public, on the hood of a car, in the kitchen sink. *g* I’d be a fool not to listen, but at the same time, I try to strike a balance between telling a good story, and telling a sex story, y’know?

As for the second part of your question, I think BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE lands in the scorching category. I’ve written hotter books… by my standards, at any rate. For example, I’ll probably always think ALL THE KING’S MEN is the hottest book I’ve ever written, but only because the heroine is forced to do things that often come up in my… ahem… personal fantasy repertoire. And since sex is so personal (in more ways than one), I don’t really know if that book hit readers’ buttons as hard as it hit mine.

2. A chocolate, magical DILDO? Okay, we all want to know where you came up with this multiply sensual sex toy idea.

LOL! Honestly, I wish I could remember. I was asked to participate in the Madam Periwinkle multi-author series, and each participating author had to come up with an item that the hero or heroine would purchase from the elusive Madam. (Just as a bit of background: Madam Periwinkle looks like Marilyn Monroe with purple hair, but she’s a fairy godmother who runs a sex shop for the… sexually needy.) Since I’d already come up with my heroine, and I knew she was a pastry chef, I thought a chocolate dildo sounded like something she might go shopping for. *g*

3. What’s your favorite way to be lazy, and in your opinion, what are the advantages to allowing yourself lazy-time? Any?

I’m a video game fanatic. Nothing (well… okay, ALMOST nothing) else relaxes me like living vicariously through a pretty girl with a big sword who gets her kicks by bashing in the skulls of orcs, goblins and other assorted nasties. *g* And there are definite advantages to allowing myself lazy-time. Lately, it’s been tremendously helpful in letting me deal with very hectic work weeks. And since I’m a fantasy fiend, playing video games helps recharge my imagination well with new writing fodder, too.

4. I know you are taking a much deserved break from your writing. Any ideas how your writing might change, or remain the same when you resume? Any plans in the back of your head? Or are ‘plans’ a bad word at this point?

Oh, no, plans are always a good word. But let me start with your first question. I do think my writing will change when I finally get back into it. One of the things that made me take an extended break was the feeling that I was rehashing the same old stories in different ways. I started to feel like I was writing dreck, and I hated that feeling. I wanted more time to get to know my characters, more time to finesse the words and watch the story take shape. So one significant way in which my writing will change will have to do with the fact that I’m going to give myself a lot more time to write. I used to churn out 10,000 words a week, but I felt rushed, and the work suffered. I admire authors who can write that way and still produce quality work. I was starting to feel like I wasn’t one of those folks, and that’s okay. I need to go a little slower, and have a little more fun with my work while I’m at it.

Getting back to plans. I still don’t have anything solid in mind, but I do know one thing: I will only write stories that call to me. I’ve written books that I felt would advance my career; and others just so I could participate in a call for submissions. In the end, I ended up burnt out and unhappy with what I’d written. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to let the words flow from a creative place inside me, the one that wakes me up in the middle of the night with new story ideas. That also means I’m open to writing something other than erotic romance if the story calls for it, which is a pretty scary prospect for me.

5. Complete the sentences:
An aggressive writer is one who whips her characters into shape and demands they do as she says.
A well-balanced writer is one who takes the time to recharge her batteries before they start leaking. LOL
Lately, the biggest pain in my butt is my butt! It’s expanding at an alarming rate. *g*
Better Than Chocolate is available at Changeling Press.

I’m absolutely delighted to launch my new blog!

Savage Hunter wouldn’t exist without the hard work of the always-fabulous Fiona Jayde, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin this post by thanking her. She worked tirelessly for weeks to create the layout and implement it, and she put up with a ton of questions from me while she was at it. The woman’s a saint.

After taking a rather lengthy break from writing, I’m finally ready to get back into it on a regular basis. This blog is part of that commitement I’ve made to myself. In the coming weeks, you should see new posts up on a daily basis. Look for topics ranging from books, to love, to sex, to writing and everything in between.

For the first time in months, I had a few spare hours to play with Photoshop this afternoon. The image below is based on a photograph I took while on vacation in Mexico last January.

Click on image for larger version.

I know… I’ve teased you all endlessly with mention of my TBR shelves, which, at last count, held over 2000 books. Currently, they’re empty — but don’t panic (heck, I’m trying not to, but I still hyperventilate when I look at my beautiful and very lonely shelves), my books are still in boxes.

I took some pictures before leaving Austin, and I thought it was time I stopped teasing you, and started showing you I really mean it when I say I’m a book addict. Ready? Here goes (click on pictures for larger versions):

   Yes folks, once again, those shelves only hold books waiting to be read. And yes, I do occasionally wander into that room and complain about having nothing to read.I should mention that the books are, of course, alphabetized by author. And those little shelves within the shelves you see? They’re custom-made additions built by my grandfather so I could double the amount of bookshelf space I have.