Interview with Author Amber Lin and Giveaway

Today I would like to welcome to the blog author Amber Lin. Amber is currently on tour celebrating the release of her book Giving It Up and took the time to answer some questions. Before we get to the interview, lets get to know a bit about Amber.

Amber Lin loves to read angsty romance with plenty of sex, so it was no surprise that her debut book turned out to be erotic romance set against a dark urban landscape. She writes with one rule in mind: it has to get worse before it can get better. She lives with her husband, son and passel of puppy dogs in the great state of Texas.

Places to find Amber:

| Site | Blog | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads |

Thanks to Danielle for hosting me on Ramblings From This Chick!

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I write erotic romance with a dark, gritty bent. Think urban fantasy without the paranormal element and with more sex.  Giving It Up has a strong but flawed female protagonist, a foe with evil machinations and an enigmatic hero with questionable moral character. Did I mention lots of sex?

Oh wait, I’m supposed to be talking about me. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, mother to a kid who’s smarter than I am, and I spend my nights writing down dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good.

Did you always want to be a writer?
No, but I’ve always had the voices in my head. I figured I was crazy so discovering I was a writer was a real relief. I’m joking…mostly.

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
At the beginning I was a panster simply because I didn’t know any better. Learning proper story structure was a huge progression for me. Actually, even discovering there was a proper story structure was a revelation.

Some people can do it quite naturally, but the rest of us end up plotting. And by that I mean getting it wrong and then rewriting. The day I get the story structure correct on the first draft, it’s going to be tequilas on me! (No one hold your breath.)

Where do your ideas come from?
I read an insane amount of books, primarily in the genre in which I write: romance in general and erotic romance specifically. This helps because I can see what works and what doesn’t and what the trends are (not that I necessarily write to them). I also notice what’s missing.

My idea for Giving It Up came from the realization that most of the heroines were basically chaste when they meet the heroine. Often the hero is looking to have one night of sex with the heroine, with no attachments. I wondered what it would look like to have a heroine who sought out sex. One who wanted to have sex with the hero but not a relationship, at least not at first.

And so Giving It Up was born, which opens with the heroine in a nightclub looking for an anonymous hookup. Of course, she has her reasons, but you’ll have to read the book to find them out.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
She wants it rough. Instead she finds him. One woman’s journey of healing and…smoking hot sex.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I love stories that push the boundaries of romance and erotica but maintain the core of emotional connection and happy endings. I love stories of people with broken pasts, hanging on their last hopes. I love deep conflicts and lots of them. Surprise, surprise, I wrote Giving It Up.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
Favorite is probably a nebulous group more than a specific book. I’m going to go with Comfort Object by Annabel Joseph. I adore that Nell is unapologetically sexual: she likes sex, she works as a professional submissive, and she’s unafraid to enter into sexual relationships. She’s also endearingly sweet and funny and smart. She is someone I can look up to. And the hero… God. I can’t even properly do him justice. I’m terrified of him, but I love him. Read the book, but prepare for your boundaries to be shot to hell.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
I lean toward dramatic scenes: the shit’s hit the fan and emotions are running high… and then things get worse. So it’s hard for me to write in breaks: those quiet moments that give the reader a chance to process. They can be very poignant, though.

There is a scene near the beginning of Giving It Up after Allie has just picked the hero up at the club, after he has given her amazing sex, where she retreats to the bathroom. She’s sitting there on the dirty bathroom floor and they have this almost tender moment. The contrast is very sweet.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
Hmmm. Maybe I would pick Selena Kitt (come on, she is the Queen of Smut. I have no idea what she’d say but I’m sure it would be awesome and educational and sexy!), Charlotte Stein (I could gush for hours about her book Control before even moving on to the rest) and Tiffany Reisz (because her mind is this dark sexy vortex). I am pretty sure all three of these women could whip my ass and I would beg for more. Yes.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
I have a historical in the works, but I’m also working on Shelly’s story. Allie is the heroine of Giving It Up. Shelly is her best friend… and she also happens to be an escort. Yes, that kind of escort. If nothing else, I promise to keep things interesting!

Allie prowls the club for a man who will use her hard and then ditch her. Hey, it's not rape if she wants it. Instead she finds Colin, who looks tough but treats her tenderly, despite her protests.

He tempts her, but kindness and a few mindblowing orgasms aren't enough to put her back together again. Allie has no hope for a real relationship. Two years ago her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way – she’d be stupid to trust a man again. Besides, she has her daughter to think of, the only good thing to have come from that dark night.

But when her rapist returns, threatening her sanity and custody of her daughter, Allie turns to Colin. Under his protection and patient touch, Allie begins to heal and learns to hope. Colin’s no saint, though, and his criminal past draws danger of its own. Allie must fight to protect her child and the man she loves, hoping her newfound power will be enough to save them all.

Watch the book trailer here

Places to Purchase:

| Loose id |

We stripped at the same time, both eager. I wanted to see his body, to witness what he offered me, but it was dark in the room. Then he kissed me back onto the bed, and there was no more time to wonder. The cheap bedspread was rough and cool against my skin. His hands stroked over my breasts and then played gently with my nipples.

My body responded, turning liquid, but something was wrong.

I’d had this problem before. Not everyone wanted to play rough, but I was surprised that I’d misread him. His muscles were hard, the pads of his fingers were calloused. I didn’t know how he could touch me so softly. Everything about him screamed that he could hurt me, so why didn’t he?

I wanted him to have his nasty way with me, but every sweet caress destroyed the illusion. My fantasy was to let him do whatever he wanted with me, but not this.

“Harder,” I said. “I need it harder.”

Instead his hands gentled. The one that had been holding my breast traced the curve around and under.

I groaned in frustration. “What’s wrong?”

He reached down, still breathing heavily, and pressed a finger lightly to my cunt, then stroked upward through the moisture. I gasped, rocking my hips to follow his finger.

“You like this,” he said.

Yes, I liked it. I was undeniably aroused but too aware. I needed the emptiness of being taken. “I like it better rough.”

Colin frowned. My eyes widened at the ferocity of his expression.

In one smooth motion he flipped me onto my stomach. I lost my breath from the surprise and impact. His left hand slid under my body between my legs and cupped me. His right hand fisted in my hair, pulling my head back. His erection throbbed beside my ass in promise. I wanted to beg him to fuck me, but all I could do was gasp. He didn’t need to be told, though, and ground against me, using my hair as a handle.

That small pain on my scalp was perfection, sharp and sweet. Numbness spread through me, as did relief.

The pain dimmed. My arousal did too, but that was okay. I was only vaguely aware of him continuing to work my body from behind.

I went somewhere else in my mind. I’d stay that way all night.

At least that’s what usually happened.

Want to win some goodies from Amber? Check out what's up for grabs.

Up for grabs:

• 1 lucky commenter will win a Giving It Up swag pack (as seen in picture)

• 1 lucky commenter from the ENTIRE tour will win a erotic romance prize pack, including copies of Bared to You by Sylvia Day, Simply Carnal by Kate Pearce, Lessons in Letting Go by Cara McKenna (print combo of Willing Victim and Curio), Comfort Object by Annabel Joseph, a collection of signed Giving It Up swag AND a $50 Amazon Gift Card .
  

To Enter:

• Please leave a meaningful comment for Amber
• Please leave your email address along with your comment to be entered. 
• Giveaway ends July 20th

Good Luck =)