Erotic Romance Author Sherry James

September is going to start off hot and steamy. Today, award-winning author Sherry James joins us to chat about her erotic romance novel Cowboy Fling from Ellora’s Cave and her contemporary romance series Studs for Hire published by Black Velvet Seductions. The first book in this series, Women on Top is a 2007 Jabbic Winner in the Contemporary Series Category and Studs for Hire: Women in Charge is due out in November.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Sherry. It’s a great pleasure to have you here.

Thanks for having me. I’m thrilled to be here!

Before we talk about your books, let’s find out more about you. Can you tell us about yourself? How long have you been writing? Do you have any mentors or inspirations?

Well, I'm a country girl and very romantic, too. I grew up on the back of a horse and showed horses and barrel raced. I was even a rodeo queen in my younger days! Believe it or not, I’ve actually ridden off into the sunset many, many times. I still live in the country and have four horses. My favorite sports are rodeo, horse racing, and Nebraska football! I'm happily married and have two very energetic kids who keep me hoppin'. I did a lot of writing as a kid, and I've been writing and working toward a writing career for about half of my life—thanks to discovering historical romance novels when I was a junior in high school. I devoured books by authors such as Alexandra Ripley, Jude Deveraux, Laurie McBain, and Patricia Gallagher. They swept me away into amazing worlds that I couldn’t get enough of. And to my delight, I later found more wonderful authors like Judith McNaught, LaVyrle Spencer, Pamela Morsi, and Amanda Quick. These women captivated me so much that I decided I wanted to do some captivating of my own by writing my own books!

So, you’ve spent a good portion of your life riding horses and became a rodeo queen. Care to share what that’s been like and how it has impacted your writing?

It was wonderful! All those hours on the back of a horse gave me plenty of time to think, so I made up romantic stories. It was great plotting practice! As a rodeo queen I had many wonderful opportunities that turned out to be great training ground for my career as an author. I had the privilege of meeting many famous people, dealing with the media, and I found out what it felt like to be in the spotlight a little bit myself.

What’s your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a time of day when you are more productive than others?

My goal is to write consistently five days a week. That’s been a little bit of a challenge, but this fall my oldest started kindergarten so that is helping immensely. I’m getting myself into a new work routine of getting him up and to the bus, then I walk for thirty minutes and then hopefully I can start writing. I still have a three-year-old daughter at home, but working with one child underfoot is so much easier than working with two! I’ve always been a night owl and that’s really my prime muse time for writing, but I’m trying hard to switch myself around to being an early bird. It’s not easy, but hopefully I’ll be successful!

Cowboy Fling brings together a sexy cowboy, a shy nurse, an impulsive bet, and three days of hot fantasy-filled sex in rugged Wyoming? What inspired this story?

Actually, I was looking at a gift catalog a few years ago and I saw this item you could order that was a jar filled with slips of inspirations. The idea is to pull out one slip of paper each day for a dose of inspiration to get you going. My brain got to thinking and I started twisting things a bit. What if instead of an inspiration each one of those little slips of paper revealed a sexual fantasy? From there the story just started to build on itself.

Tell us more about the main characters in this story—cowboy Lane Hart and nurse Paige Holister. Why will readers care about them? Can readers really root for their romance when it’s based upon a planned sexual encounter?

Well, I believe so. And if the reviews I’ve received are any indication, the reviewers are rooting for them. Paige is certainly the fish out of water with this fantasy quest her sister has gotten her into. She is shy, practical, responsible, and doesn’t consider herself sexy at all. I mean the idea of acting on our fantasies is really almost a fantasy in itself. Wouldn’t we all love to be adventurous and embark on our own sexual fantasies at least once in our lives? But because of our family and financial responsibilities we aren’t able to do so.

As for Lane, he’s not only hot and sexy as all get out, but he’s truly a good guy who’s been wronged. I think any woman would love to find a man like him and be the one to heal his heart.

And yes, the sex is hot, but Cowboy Fling is first and foremost a romance. These characters have real conflicts to resolve, and what starts out to be just a fantasy weekend, develops into way more. This story isn’t about just S-E-X.

Though Paige is on a mission, she actually meets Lane by accident during a brawl where Lane and another man are fighting in the parking lot of a rodeo arena. Why did you choose to have them meet that way?

Well, Paige is so unsure of what she’s out to do that I thought I’d take her by surprise and throw her sexy cowboy at her feet. That way, since he’s right there, she doesn’t really have time to talk herself out of asking him to be her cowboy! And of course, when she meets Lane, she knows she’s found her man. But the question is if she can muster up the gumption to go for it.

Let’s move on to your Studs for Hire Series. Where did the idea for this series come from? Is this going to be like a racy Harlequin series where the characters and stories are always different or is it going to be the same characters in each book?

My husband owned a carpentry business for a number of years, and since that’s a field pretty much dominated by men, again, my mind got to working and playing with ideas. What if three women were to own a handyman/construction business where they called the shots and employed sexy, reliable guys to do carpentry/electrical work for mainly a female clientele? Remember the Diet Coke commercial from the 90's where the women were hanging out their office windows as the sexy construction hunk took a Diet Coke break? It was a major hit—he even had his own calendar. So, I thought, what woman wouldn’t want a strappin’ hunk-of-a-man rewiring her outlet! Hey, waiting for a repair guy like that would be worth missing a day of work for.

Right now I definitely have three books planned for the series, possibly a fourth. Each partner—Sydnie, Casey, and Terri, will each have their own stories. They also have reoccurring roles in each book. The heroes will make appearances in the other books as well. Although the books are tied together by common characters, each book definitely stands alone.

In Women on Top, we meet Sydnie Riley, a woman who was fired from her last job and decides to open up her own business with two of her friends—Studs for Hire, whose clients are single women searching for good looking men to help them with household problems. Is this a sexy take off of “Husbands for Hire”? Do these studs do anything more than just fix problems around the house?

No, it’s not a take off. At leastwise not intentionally. And the Studs aren’t supposed to do anything more than take care of handyman work. But tell that to the clients! Two of my heroes, Trevor and Alex, can give you an ear full about clients getting the wrong idea.

In Chapter One, we also meet Trevor Vanden Bosch, who Sydnie holds responsible for her getting fired. And unknown to Sydnie, he has a hidden agenda. What can you tell us about Trevor?

Well, Trevor has been working his butt off to climb the corporate ladder. Over the years he’s come to understand that in order to make that climb he has to do some things that he doesn’t like. And he sure as heck doesn’t like what his boss is forcing him to do now in order to earn a partnership. But Trevor can’t deny that going undercover at Studs gives him the perfect excuse to see Sydnie again. I better stop there. I don’t want to give too much away.

And once again I have to ask, why will readers care about these two people? Will they be able to root for them to be together? Or is Trevor’s hidden agenda going to turn readers off of him completely?

It’s true Trevor has a hidden agenda, okay, maybe two, but one is to make sure he doesn’t do Sydnie wrong again. And two, is to win her heart for good this time. I hope readers see that he genuinely cares for Syd and that he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. He even makes some big sacrifices on her behalf. He’s a true hero to my idea (sigh), and I hope readers will agree with me.

Does anyone ever ask you why you have chosen to write erotic romances? Has anyone ever suggested you write something a little less controversial?

Not so far. Whew! But I write pretty tame. And Cowboy Fling is the only true erotic romance I’ve published so far, and it only carries an S (sensual) rating. My Studs for Hire series isn’t erotic. Hot yes! But not erotic. For me, what makes a romance hot is the sexual tension, the awareness, the hero and heroine have for each other. I love to see that tension build and build until you think they are just going to burst! And that’s the part I really like to write—the awareness. I believe all my books deliver on that account.

There are groups out there who would like to see books like yours taken off the shelves. How do you feel about this? Do you think censorship is necessary in some cases?

I believe we all deserve the right to read what we want to read as long as our actions don’t cause harm to anyone else.

Have you ever been subjected to criticism solely because of the genre you write? If so, how have you handled it? Do you have any advice on how other writers can handle such criticism?

Since I’ve been writing for years, I’ve had people give me a tough time about writing romance in general. Mention romance novels and a lot of people already have the misconception they are all nothing but trash. I calmly reply that romance novels are books about relationships, learning to forgive and grow, and learning to love. My advice to writers who are faced with criticism is to remain calm. Don’t get defensive. Remember you are a professional writer. You need to act professional. Simply ask the person giving you the hard time if they’ve ever read any romance novels. If they say no, then recommend some authors and ask them to give them a try before negatively labeling the genre. If they have read in the genre ask what they’ve read, then again recommend some books based on their likes and dislikes and ask if they’ll give us another try. Books, like any form of entertainment, are subjective.

So, tell us, how can readers order your books?

Cowboy Fling can be ordered at http://www.ellorascave.com/. My Studs for Hire books are available in both paperback and e-format and can be ordered at http://www.blackvelvetseductions.com/, or through most online booksellers, or your favorite local bookstore.

What’s up next for you? Are there any exciting projects fans and fellow writers should know about?

Right now I’m getting ready for the release of my second Studs for Hire book, Woman in Charge. It’s due out in November. I had a blast with this book. Course, it gave me a chance to revisit my inner Elvis! That’ right, if you’re an Elvis fan, you won’t want to miss Woman in Charge.

I’m also writing the sequel to Cowboy Fling. Paige’s sister, Dorie, gets her turn at making her fantasies come true in Country Fling. Then, I’ll start on the third book in the Studs for Hire Series, Woman to the Rescue. I also have a paranormal that is close to being done, which I hope to find a publisher for in the near future, and I have several historicals I’d like to find homes for as well. Oh, if only there were more hours in the day.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Well, one of my main goals as a writer is to bring readers a few hours of just good ol’ fun and entertainment. If I can make them forget their day-to-day worries for a while, and make them laugh, too, then I’ve been successful.

And I love to hear from readers! They can contact me through my website, http://www.sherryjames.com/

Thanks for spending so much time with us today, Sherry. I wish you continued success.

Thanks so much for having me. It’s been great!!

Waiting for the Big One by PG Forte

The temperature is about to get hotter in here because today PG (it’s a name, not a rating) Forte is going to chat about her latest release, Waiting for the Big One which was published by Liquid Silver Books. This is PG’s first virtual book tour and I am thrilled to have her stop by.

Welcome to The Book Connection PG. It’s great to have you with us.

Thank you, Cheryl. It's great to be here.

Let’s find out a bit more about you before we chat about the book. When did you decide to become a writer? Did anyone inspire you to travel along this career path?

I'd say it was more of a challenge than an inspiration. I was working in a re-touching studio in Manhattan when I got to talking about books with a co-worker. It turned out we both had written short stories and poetry, etc. He was really the first person to challenge me to do something with that.

This is the one question I ask everybody because I am so curious about how other writers work. What is your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a time of day when you are more productive than others?

I do try to write every day--other than when I'm between series. There's a certain amount of switching gears that takes place when I'm starting a new project, so sometimes there's a little downtime then. But, if I'm in the middle of a book, I have to write on a regular basis. I get cranky if I don't. I even took my laptop with me when we took a cruise to Hawaii a few years ago. I wrote on the deck. Every day. It was lovely.

I also tweak and edit and re-write as I go, so my 'first draft' is usually not very different from my final version. I know some people just write to get something down and then go back and re-write and re-write but that doesn't work for me. Also, I like to plot things out in detail ahead of time. That's very important.

I definitely am more productive at some points of the day than others. When I first started--back when my kids were in school full time and I was driving them back and forth, getting up early, etc, I found my most productive time was during the day. When that changed, I began to stay up later and later. For several years I did all my best work late at night--after everyone else was asleep. Lately things have changed again and now I find I'm doing more work during the day.

I read an article in the April 2007 issue of Writer’s Digest (The Power of Titillation) which spoke of the sometimes blurry line between romance and erotica. Where do your books fit in? Are you happy with that?

Well I'd be thrilled if they'd throw out all the categories and just called it all fiction! Since that's not likely to happen...the books I'm writing right now fit pretty squarely into the erotic romance category. Meaning that it's a romance story first and foremost but the characters sexual relationship is a key component to the story. Of course, I suppose you could read them strictly as erotica, if you wanted.

And yes, I'm very happy about that. My previous series 'didn't quite fit' into several categories at once--as a result they were much harder to sell.

Are you ever asked why you choose to write the books that you do? Has anyone ever questioned why you don’t write something a little less…controversial?

Yeah, my father wishes I'd write something with less sex in it. And my brother once complained that he thought my romantic-suspense would have been better without the romance. I disagree. I tend to let my characters dictate the story and this is how they want it.

My goal is to write stories that I would want to read--and then hope other people share my tastes.

Let’s move on to Waiting for the Big One. Tell us a bit about this book.

This book was so much fun to write! It was my first 'erotic romance' and I wrote it at my critique partner's urging. It's the story of Gabby Browne, her search for true love and ultimate pleasure, and the two men who help her find it.

Based upon the synopsis, Gabby seems to be looking for love in all the wrong places. Is it hard to create a character like Gabby who might seem superficial to some people? How do you make the reader care about her?

I fall in love with all my characters--I think that's the secret to creating characters that readers really respond to. Gabby is young and somewhat silly but she's also sweet and vulnerable. Even though she makes mistakes, she tries hard to be a good friend. What's not to like about that? Well, other than her penchant to relate everything to Astrology, I guess. Some people have found that tiresome. Unfortunately, that's a character trait she has in common with me--ack! I might have to shut up and never again mention that I'm also a Pisces and my husband is a Scorpio...and our son's a Pisces too.

And, no, despite all that, the book is not autobiographical. lol!

Tell us about Derek, the man who Gabby is friends with. Is she even aware of his attraction to her? By the synopsis he seems kind of possessive. Is he really?

Oh, thank you for asking about Derek--I think he's just so cool. He plays a key role in the book I just finished writing (the third in this series) and he's just a darling.

Yes, Gabby knows he's attracted to her. She's attracted to him as well. But they were both seeing other people when they first met and he made it very clear that they could be friends or they could stay away from each other. They opted to become friends and that friendship came to mean a great deal to Gabby. Now that they're both single, she's not willing to risk losing Derek as a friend by crossing boundaries that he set.

Sure, now he's all of a sudden saying that they can have sex and still be friends but Gabby's viewpoint is that guys in lust will say anything to get laid! It's not that she distrusts him, it's just that she feels she's protecting their friendship.

No, I really wouldn't characterize Derek as possessive. He wants Gabby but he's been willing to wait her out, let her figure things out on her own--until Zach enters the picture. And, yes, at that point, Derek does what he can to sabotage things--but mostly because he's afraid he'll lose her forever if he doesn't step in and do something.

Waiting for the Big One is written from Gabby’s point of view. Why did you choose first person? Could the story have been written from a third person point of view?

I'm so glad you asked! I never intended to write this book in first person. But once I heard Gabby's voice in my head, I knew I had to. She makes the story, in my opinion. I don't think I could have shown her personality anywhere near as well in third person. In fact I tried to re-write it in third person and I was completely dissatisfied with it.

And that's another reason I love Derek so much. Somehow, his personality manages to come across very, very clearly despite the fact that we're never in his point of view.

In Chapter One the reader meets Gabby and Derek. Gabby is late for her workout and Derek is majorly ticked. Gabby describes Derek to us as she sees him--his dark-chocolate voice, his classically perfect nose, and his lovely muscles. Right from the get go you’ve brought sexiness and physical attraction into the story. Is that important in a book like Waiting for the Big One?

I think so. I think it adds to the sexual tension between the main characters. I wanted it to be clear right away that these two were both very attracted to each other. They've both been waiting--for a sign, for the right time, for the other person to make the first move. And I wanted the readers to feel like they were waiting right along with them.

I’m going to move away from your book to talk about something that I feel very strongly about. There are groups out there who would seek to ban books like yours. How do you feel about that? Do you think censorship is ever justified?

I'm totally opposed to censorship of any kind. Not just because of what I write but because I think it's dangerous and just plain wrong for any group of people to decide that they should determine what someone else should or shouldn't be allowed to write or read or think or say.

Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are pretty damn important. Frankly, I'm appalled at all the recent attempts to dismantle the Constitution--for whatever reason. As Voltaire supposedly said, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”

I think the idea of censorship only serves to point out the extraordinary power inherent in writing. It's the whole 'the pen is mightier than the sword' kind of thing. Not that I'm writing the kind of thing that could topple empires--I'm absolutely not. I'm writing entertainment, pure and simple. But I believe everyone should have the freedom to decide--for themselves--what they're going to read or write or say or think.

Whew. Long answer, huh? What can I say? I live in Berkeley--we're all about the politics here.

Have you ever been approached by someone opposed to what you’ve written? How did you handle it? Do you have any advice for writers who might find themselves in the same boat as you?

I really haven't had that happen...unless you count rejections? lol! I've had plenty of those. But, you know, no one's ever going to write something that everyone's going to like, so I won't be surprised if it happens.

And, I hope that's something other writers will realize too. I mean, there are people who don't like Shakespeare! Or Hemingway, Faulkner, Dickens, Whitman--anyone. From the moment you put pen to paper, there are going to be people who won't like what you're writing. Who cares? You're not writing for those people anyway. Just don't let them stop you!

So, now that we’ve got all the fun stuff out of the way, how can people get their hands on a copy of Waiting for the Big One?

Well, I hope people will find that fun too. lol! Here's the very long URL:

http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=Waiting+For+The+Big+One&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact

People can also find links on my website http://www.pgforte.com/ Or by going to Liquid Silver's website at: http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/

What’s up next for you? There are lots of works in progress listed on your website. Do you have any exciting news you would like to share with us?

Too many works in progress I sometimes think. I feel a little like the proverbial ditched centipede. At the moment I'm between books and not quite sure what I'm going to work on next. I think the most exciting news I have to share is that I've recently finished Let Me Count the Ways--which is the third book in the LA Love Lessons series. So readers who love Derek and want to see more of him can look forward to that.

I also want to let anyone interested in my Oberon series to know that I'm hoping to have them available again soon.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Well, I suppose I might mention that, for anyone who's enjoyed Waiting for the Big One and wants to read more about Zach, Love, From A to Z is also available now from Liquid Silver Books. I didn't really talk about him today, but he's another sweetheart.

Thanks for joining us today, PG. It’s been a great pleasure to chat with you. I wish you and your career all the best.

Thank you so much for having me! It's been great fun chatting with you. These were some fabulous questions.

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