Guest Post with Author Jaime Rush and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome to the blog author Jaime Rush. Jaime is currently on tour promoting her new release Darkness Becomes Her and has stopped by the blog to chat. Before I give the floor over to Jamie, lets get to know her a bit.

Hello! I'm so glad you've come to visit. So you want to know a little more about me? I am the daughter of an exiled king, living a life of both luxury and danger. While ensconced in our palace in our adopted land of Romania, we must be ever-vigilant of the dark forces that expunged us from the beautiful and sacred land that was once called Eden.

You can tell I write fiction, right? I wish I could say that I was an airline pilot or a former spy or something exciting, but my life has been pretty ordinary. In these times, though, that's a good thing. I get my excitement from writing and reading fiction, as well as watching my fave television shows like Lost and Grey's Anatomy. I enjoy living in other people's imaginations as much as my own. Missing the romance, drama, and action of my favorite television shows, The X-Files, Roswell, and Highlander, is why I created my own mix in the Offspring series.

I've lived in the same southwest Florida town my whole life. I have a wonderful family, fabulous friends, and consider myself blessed beyond reason. I swim, work out, meditate, read, and spend time with the aforementioned friends and family. I try to find joy in the little things in life and to find the lessons in the hard times. Life is truly what we make it, and I choose to make mine fantastic.

Since I was a kid, I devoured books and television shows on unexplained mysteries and psychic phenomena. I knew I would be published, marry a fabulous guy, and win a Toyota Supra.

I do have another identity: I've written eighteen books under my name, Tina Wainscott.

Places to find Jaime:

| Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | 

OF VIRGINS AND MEN

I admit that I've always had a curiosity about virgin heroes. I think it started when I heard John Cougar's "Into the Night" (yes, before he was Mellencamp) In particular, these two lines:

"You say that I'm the boy who can make it all come true,
Well, I'm tellin' ya that I don't know if I know what to do."

That vulnerability touched me, made me curious about him.

As a writer, my quandary has always been how to make him bad, dangerous, sexy and a virgin all at once. We don't want fumbling heroes in the bedroom (or elsewhere) after all. In DARKNESS BECOMES HER, I had a hero who'd spent his formative years in remote places because his father was on the run. And because of a mistake the hero made, which caused the death of someone he loved, he now lived in self-imposed monk's life. I'd come up with some way that he'd gotten experience, but honestly I wasn't thrilled with it.

As I was writing the beginning of the book, I happened upon a discussion about virgin heroes on GoodReads.

Some of the readers' comments were:

"To me, it's sexy to see a virgin hero learn his skills with the heroine."

"Virgin heroes rock. :)"

"I'm not always the greatest fan of virgin heroes....it really all depends on how he's written. I don't like a lot of fumbling and awkwardness LOL"

"I like when a hero is a virgin and a dangerous bad boy too."

"As far as inexperience, a hero has to learn somewhere. Why not with the heroine?"

And I realized that Lachlan was the perfect hero with whom to explore this fascination. He's not completely innocent. In the age of the internet and on-line porn, his formative years could certainly be, uh, informative. But now that he's sworn to a life of celibacy, he has no need for such things.

Enter the heroine. Now, I had already decided that she was a virgin. She has good reason to fear letting herself go emotionally, because she harbors something called Darkness that comes out when she's in a heightened emotional state.

Here's a sneak peek of the reveal:

"I was never comfortable meeting new people like Magnus was. I stayed round here, helping my dad with his research. Magnus, though, kept trying to tempt me into going out, telling me about all the wickedness in the world." Lachlan gave her a wicked smile to go along with that. "I was going to give in, but then”—that smile faded—“after my psychosis, none of that mattered."

Jessie wasn't sure if he was being cagey or obtuse. "So, before that, you didn't … socialize? In person, I mean."

He got that cute expression again, his mouth turning up slightly in a smile. "Are you asking if I'm a virgin? Getting a wee bit personal, aren't you?"

A laugh burst out of her. "Oh, do not pretend modesty with me now. You blew that card when you were standing there in your skivvies and not the least bit bothered."

He shrugged. "Magnus and I spent a lot of time running around in our skivvies in the heat of summer. But I do make a point to get dressed when I go out in public."

"Smart of you. Nice as you look in your skivvies, the public in general takes a dislike to nudity." Oops. Had she actually said that?

"Why, thank you."

She liked this more relaxed side of him. "So? Are you virgin?" Now that she'd introduced the question, in her mind at least, she wanted to know. Really badly.

"Aye." He said it without shame or even a hint of chagrin.

The thought of it tickled through her like fingers skittering across her stomach. She took another sip of her coffee, focusing on the light brown liquid in her mug and not on him, because she loved, loved the idea of this gorgeous man being a virgin like she was. She realized that when he'd made the snorting sound at her confession that she was a virgin, he hadn't been making fun of her. He probably couldn't believe the coincidence. She met his gaze. "I don't want to be a virgin anymore."

He was taking a drink of water and nearly choked on it.

###

I'm celebrating the release of DARKNESS BECOMES HER with my Kick Butt First Line contest. Shocking, suspenseful…make us want more! Cash prizes! Contest runs until July 1, 2012. For aspiring authors, it's a chance to get your name out there and add a "win" to your bio. For readers, it's a chance to play at being a writer. Even if you're not inclined to write a line, check out the entries—they're a lot of fun! For details, go to www.JaimeRush.com and click on the Contest link.

Post a comment or answer this question and have a chance to win a copy of DARKNESS BECOMES HER: What do you find the sexiest thing about a man, real or fictional?

They live ordinary lives, but they are extraordinary.
They are the Offspring, children of a mysterious experiment gone awry—and they are in terrible danger.

Power Junkie: Lachlan McLeod spent wild years astrally projecting himself into other times and places. But he doesn't get out much anymore—not after the fatal mistake that cost him a precious loved one.

Pixie Fugitive: Jessie isn't having a bad day. She's having a bad lifetime. After the terrifying act of supernatural violence that destroyed her family, she's been on the run for years. But now her ruthless enemy is drawing closer . . . and her own powers have finally awakened.

They're two people who don't play well with others. But they're going to have to learn to, and quickly. Because they're the only two people in the world who can save each other — and their passion is the only thing that can save the world.

Places to Purchase:

| Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | 

Check out the other books in Jaime's Offspring series:

Click on cover for more info.

Want to win a copy? 1 lucky commenter will win an eBook copy of Darkness Becomes Her. 

To Enter:

• Leave a comment answering the question:  What do you find the sexiest thing about a man, real or fictional?
• Fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Please answer the question below or leave a meaningful comment. 

Good Luck =)

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