There were questions asked at the party and because I couldn't be there, I decided to follow suit with Tigris Eden and answer them in a blog post. :-) Here's what I had to say.
Do you ever worry about what friends or family think in regards to the steamy scenes we all love so much?
Honestly, I enjoy watching my family and friends squirm when they find out what I write. I get the initial shock and horror, then the...wow, that's kinda cool. My folks still aren't thrilled, but I don't think I've ever done things they wanted me to do.
Do you come up with the titles before or after you write the book?
I tend to have the title first, then the story...but lately, I've been coming up with cool characters and finding a title later. For example, my characters in my teachers series at Ellora's Cave all had titles first, but Tying One On was called "MMF Short Story" for the longest time because I wasn't sure what to call it.
Do any of you guys listen to music while writing?
I have to have something playing when I'm writing. I have my BDSM playlist which gets me in the right headspace to write BDSM. It's got some Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch and Evans Blue. I've got my Billy Joel playlist and the Beatles playlist, too. I know. What a bizarre grouping, huh? I'm odd. I admit it. I've also got a penchant for listening to movies while I write. The Avengers, Captain America, X-Men: First Class and X-Men Origins: Wolverine are some of my current favorites.
How are you going to celebrate the 4th of July?
We're having a big ole bonfire and watching the fireworks. I might record the Capital Fourth show on PBS (I said I'm strange...I LOVE PBS) and hang out.
What is it like ending a book? Whether it has a sequel, series, or stand alone?
Ending a book can be freeing, but it can be tiring and sad, too. I like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and knowing the characters got their HEA but I get sad because I don't want to leave them. The hardest series I've ever written....well, there are two. My hardest Wendi series was from the Crestline, Ohio group because I wrote a menage first. Three people who stayed friends even when the two guys paired off and eventually they bring her back into the group. It was hard because I knew how it ended and I knew what kind of emotional turmoil had to be written in to make the eventual ending right. Then I was asked by a lot of readers to tell what happened before the story. It was tough because I wanted that prequel to have a good ending, but I knew it would eventually be negative for the sequel to be right. It was a mind screw for sure.
The Megan series, my Club Desire series, was hard in its own way because I started with two guys at Club Desire. They have their story and ending, but in the ending, another character is introduced. In that book, he seems like a jerk...until you read book 2 and get his point of view in the SAME scene. I had to write the same scenes from more than one point of view. It was a challenge and a good exercise in figuring out what to do with the characters.
Do you have nicknames for your significant others? I've noticed there is a bunch of authors that call their S.O's by something other than their actual name, like McIrish or Alpha Man.
Mine's DH or JPZ. Usually I call him DH. It just works. :-) The tot is always referred to as the Tot.
Thanks to everyone who came out and posted or commented. It's been a lot of fun. Want to know which books I featured for the party? Check them out below!
Adam Pallas knows what he wants out of life—to teach history, to be happy and to have a hot woman by his side. He’s got one out of the three. He should be happy, but he’s not. There’s one woman who grabs his attention every time. The catch? She’s very much out of his league. Can being himself actually snag the woman of his dreams?
Melissa Murphy isn’t looking for love, but every time she sees Adam her plans go sideways. The English teacher knows there’s a confident, hot man hiding behind the slightly nerdy history buff façade. But her past and the things she wants between the sheets tend to scare men off. She believes the odds may be stacked against them. But it turns out that their lives might just be perfectly written together.
Inside Scoop: Our heroine has fun encouraging her man to be more aggressive in bed by adding spanking and role-playing to their hot nights.
She’s the mistake they can’t live without.
Steve Reynolds and Ronan Boyd are happy in their relationship. They own and operate the Circle B Ranch and are very much in love. Both men dated the same woman before they began their own love story. She’s their best friend. But there’s something missing. Would the woman from their past want to be their third?
Trista Connolly knows her place with Steve and Ronan—she’s their friend. She wants to move on with her life after breaking up with her current boyfriend. But she’s still in love with Steve and Ronan. Tylerville isn’t a big city and everyone knows everyone else’s business. She keeps her horse safe at their ranch, but can she keep her heart protected as well?
Things are about to heat up and fast—times three!
