And to read an excerpt and find out more, visit the LOSING CONTROL page on Entangled's website!
http://www.entangledpublishing.com/losing-control/
Hi Nina! So excited to be sharing a release day with you and Katee. Tell us a little about LOSING CONTROL (even the title intrigues me!)
Thanks for having me here, Cari!
Losing Control is one of my favorite romance types—a
‘friends to lovers’ story. For the last four years, Jake and Kim have been best
friends. But in reality, Jake has been biding his time. He actually wants the
whole deal, love, marriage, babies... Kim, on the other hand, is recovering
from an abusive relationship. She’s determined never to put herself in anyone’s
control again. No way will she ever remarry, but at the same time, she doesn’t
want to lose Jake’s friendship. The book follows her increasingly frantic struggles
to keep Jake firmly in his best friend role, while fighting an overwhelming and
totally inconvenient sexual attraction.
I see that LOSING CONTROL is the first
book in the Babysitting a Billionaire series. Love that name! How many books do
you have planned?
There are three books in the series, based on three
girlfriends who all work for Knight Security. Dani and Jess, the heroines from
books 2 and 3, both make appearances in Losing Control. Hopefully, readers will
be rooting for their happy-ever-afters as well.
Bodyguard books are SO hot. What made
you want to write one?
I’m a big believer that you should write the sort of
things you love to read and I love bodyguard books. But I also love books about
strong heroines, so I decided to make the series about women who work (or as
in the case with Losing Control—who want
to work) as bodyguards and keep their men safe. Not that the men involved are
always appreciative of the effort. I love the fight an alpha male has to accept
that his woman is strong enough to protect him.
For the readers we have that are curious
about our process, do you outline your stories before you begin or fly by the
seat of your pants?
I’ve tried both, but come to the realization that I’m
a total plotter. I actually enjoy plotting. I outline right down to scene
level. I think the main reason is that it gives me time to get to know my
characters before I start the actual writing. I need to wait for that moment
where they start chatting away in my head—then I’m ready.
But I also have a pretty low boredom threshold, so I
tend to do it differently each time. Spreadsheets, cards, the hero’s journey….
Right now I’m learning how to use Scrivener and it’s fun.Tell us something about Jake from LOSING CONTROL that will make us even more eager to read it! (though c’mon, from the smokin’ cover to that blurb, is that even possible?)
Jake’s ex-army, and he now runs a security company
among other things. He’s definitely an alpha male—he’s tough and pretty much a
control freak, but he also has a huge protective streak.
Of course, he’s gorgeous as well—
“With his thick, dark hair that always
looked sexily ruffled like some woman had just run her fingers through it, his
high cheekbones, strong, straight nose, and beautifully stern mouth. He was six
feet three inches of lean, mean, drool-worthy man.”
Jake understands that Kim is scared of
losing control over her life and it’s a real battle for him to try not to
overwhelm her. He has to go to great lengths to prove he can relinquish control,
including one incident with a four-poster bed, a few lengths of rope and…
What’s your typical writing day like? Do
you have any special rituals to help get you in the mood?
I live on an almond farm in the mountains of
southern Spain, with my husband and a whole load of animals. So the start of
the day is usually seeing to them (not the husband, he’s very self-sufficient.)
I feed the pig, walk the dogs, ride the horse... After that, most of the day is
mine, though the dogs do tell me when they need attention. I tend to spend the
mornings, while my mind is fresh, writing new words. Then in the afternoons I
do everything else, editing, promo stuff, critting… anything that’s on my
to-do-list.
And this time of year, the work is interspersed with
dips in the pool to cool off and wake me up.What qualities make up your ideal hero? (In real life or fiction or both – your choice!)
I love total alpha heroes. At least in fiction. I
love them lean and mean and with just a touch of arrogance. He has to feel
strongly about things and be willing to fight for what he believes in. I also
think all heroes should have a protective streak. He knows he’s big and strong,
and he wants to use that strength to protect the people he cares about.
Oh, and I’m also a sucker for tall dark and
handsome.And just for fun: would you rather run away for an impetuous sexy island getaway with your significant other or curl up in front of a roaring fire during a snowstorm? And why?
It’s got to be the sexy island getaway. I love the
summer and the sun. I was born in the north of England where the sun hardly
ever shone and I seem to have spent my life since heading south. I also love
the sea, so an island is my perfect holiday destination.
Though the one thing I love about winter is snow—so
I don’t mind the occasional snowstorm (and we do get them on our mountain.).
Thanks so much for spending some time with me today,
Nina! Best of luck with LOSING CONTROL – I can’t wait to read it!
Thanks Cari! And good luck with NO ROMANCE
REQUIRED. I’ve loved the series so far!
