Author inspirations: 'The Big Easy,' shining hope and a real-life blind date
Today's featured authors: Patricia Rosemoor, author of Dangerous; Cecy Robson, author of Once Loved; and Chelsey Krause, author of Can't Always Get What You Want. They're sharing some of the inspirations behind their new Loveswept releases.
Patricia Rosemoor, author of Dangerous
Three things that inspired my new release:
• Crime/romance movies. The Big Easy and The Thomas Crown Affair (the Pierce Brosnan/Renee Russo version) are all-time favorites. The heroes both have backgrounds that make them stray from the straight and narrow. And because of that, the heroines both have reasons to distrust the heroes. In Dangerous, Drago Nance grew up fighting, being inducted into a gang and ended up starting his own anti-gang gang with other youths determined to fight ending up in prison. Or dead. But that did sometimes pit him against the authorities. And Camille Martell is a homicide detective. So that gave me a great romantic conflict.
• Internet predators. Such stories in the news are all too real and all too frequent, and I wanted to have a crime that was current and frightening.
• Tattoos. I gave the hero a dragon tattoo that covers one side of his back, the head coming over his shoulder to his chest because I thought it would be sexy. But the tattoo research I did led me to use tattoos in a way that I hadn't even imagined until I was well into the story.
About Dangerous:
Fans of Linda Howard will love Dangerous, the story of a driven female cop who teams up with an irresistible ex-con to bring a killer to justice—and discovers that breaking the rules is hotter on the wrong side of the law.
Chicago homicide detective Camille Martell will stop at nothing to track down "Angel," a sexual predator who has already butchered two young victims—even after her off-the-books investigation leads to her suspension. But when her relentless attempts to contact Angel online puts her teenage neighbor in mortal danger, Camille's worst fears are realized. Panicked and overwhelmed with guilt, Camille needs help—even if it comes from the one man she swore she'd do anything to forget.
After serving time for a trumped-up charge, private investigator Drago Nance doesn't trust cops. Nothing will change that, not even the steamy weekend with Camille that burned itself into his memory. But with an innocent girl's life at stake, Drago can't ignore the need in Camille's eyes, or the heated promise in her touch. He agrees to help—if she's willing to play by his rules. He just never suspected that seducing his partner could be just as thrilling as chasing a madman.
Find out more at PatriciaRosemoor.com.
Cecy Robson, author of Once Loved
Three things that inspired me to write Once Loved:
• Environment. I didn't grow up in a neighborhood with white picket fences. Most of the homes where I spent my childhood were surrounded with rusty chain links meant to keep robbers out and territorial guard dogs in.
• Upbringing. I was raised in a very strict, very traditional Latino home, among Latino neighbors who were deeply invested in upholding customs and honor. Violence was committed behind closed doors, and never discussed outside the home. Keeping family secrets was a task ingrained from birth. But I saw the bruises covering the women and children despite their best efforts to hide them, and heard their screams at night. Most of all, I saw the shame haunting their faces behind their forced smiles.
• Hope. Regardless of the violence I witnessed or experienced firsthand, I survived, and so did many others. We wanted better, because we knew we were deserving of happiness. So the forced smiles remained in place, until the day came when we could mean them.
Hope is such a small word, but it can burn brightly in even the darkest of places.
About Once Loved:
He's the campus golden boy. She's picking up the pieces of her broken past. But in Cecy Robson's scorching novel of second chances—perfect for readers of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn—their differences only make their connection more explosive.
Every memory Lety Tres Santos has from her childhood comes with a scar—some emotional, some physical. Her father is an abusive drug addict, and her mother enables his destructive behavior. College offers Lety a fresh start ... until her father finds a way to ruin that, too. Now, after losing her scholarship to kick off junior year, Lety must somehow stay in school, pay tuition, and turn a deaf ear to the whispers that follow her. And she intends to do it all without Brody Quaid's help.
Brody is a lacrosse star, a 4.0 student—and as a freshman, he fell hard for the beautiful and spirited Lety. But their relationship crashed and burned because he couldn't break through the walls she's put up around her heart. With Lety hurting more than ever, Brody strives to win her back and make her believe in real love and true partnership. That will mean opening up secrets locked away in his own past—and trusting someone more than he's ever dared.
Lety knows how painful it can be to depend on the wrong man. She also knows how much Brody wants to do this the right way. But it takes more than sizzling desire to move on and build a future together.
Find out more at cecyrobson.com.
Chelsey Krause, author of Can't Always Get What You Want
Three things that inspired my new release:
• I often empathize with the "good guy who never gets the girl" in romance novels. So, I decided that in my book, the nice, average guy next door would get a chance to be the hero. Brett is a carpenter by trade. He isn't a millionaire. He doesn't sleep around. He's the ultimate boy next door. But being totally hot doesn't hurt, though. ;) In my mind, Brett looks like a cross between Captain America (a la Chris Evans) and actor/model Travis Fimmel. I know. Pretty amazing, right?
• Sophie and Brett meet on a blind date at a concert (much like my husband and I did). I had an extra concert ticket and had heard about him through mutual friends, but had never met him. So, I called him up and said, "Hey, you don't know me, but do you want to go to a concert with me?" He said yes. Now that we've been together for eight years, I'm SO surprised that he actually said yes. He hates meeting new people! I always thought that would make a great story (or at least intro scene), so BAM! I put it into my book.
• I love Indian culture. Curries, salwar kameez, mythology, Bollywood movies, etc. I can even sing a few lines from my favorite Bollywood musicals. That's why I gave Sophie an Indian best friend (Samira). Attending a Hindu wedding is on my bucket list, so I got to live vicariously through Sophie! Samira is loosely based on my childhood best friend, who lived across the street from me. We walked to school together every day.
About Can't Always Get What You Want:
Sophie Richards has been looking forward to a much-needed girls' night out: a Rolling Stones tribute-band concert, a few drinks, a distraction from her grueling nursing shifts in acute care. But when her best friend bails, Sophie gets stuck with a blind date.
Although Brett Nicholson may be the hottest carpenter alive, and Sophie may technically be single, she isn't exactly on the market. Six years ago she found The One. He was everything Sophie dreamed a man could be—and then she lost him. In an instant, her whole life changed, and she forgot all about happily ever after.
But as she gets to know Brett, Sophie starts to wonder about the future for the first time. With a broken heart still clouding her mind, jumping into a new relationship feels impossible. When she's in his arms, walking away feels even harder. Now Sophie faces an impossible choice: living in the past or choosing love in the here and now.
Find out more at www.chelseykrause.com.