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Friday, August 17, 2012

Interview with Author Charlene Teglia and Giveaway


Today I would like to welcome author Charlene Teglia to the blog. Charlene is celebrating the release of Cowboy Lust, which was edited by Delilah Devlin and features a short story from Charlene. Charlene has stopped by to answer some questions, but before we get to the interview, lets learn a bit about both Charlene and Delilah.

Charlene Teglia made her first novel sale in 2004. Since then her books have garnered several honors, including 2005 Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Erotic Novel, 2006 Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice nominee for Best Erotic Romance, 2005 and 2007 CAPA nominations for Best Erotic Anthology, and Romantic Times Top Pick. She's a current Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice nominee for Best Erotic Paranormal Romance. Her work has been translated into Spanish and German, excerpted in Complete Woman, and selected by the Rhapsody, Doubleday and Literary Guild Bookclubs. When she's not writing, she can be found hiking with her family or opening and closing doors for cats.
Places to Find Charlene:

Delilah Devlin is an award-winning author of erotic romance with a rapidly expanding reputation for writing edgy stories with complex characters. Ms. Devlin has published over a hundred stories in multiple sub-genres and lengths with Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Kensington, Kindle, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.
Places to find Delilah:
Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter |

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I made my first novel sale to Ellora’s Cave in 2004. That book went on to win the RT Award for Best Erotic Novel and I’ve been writing hot romance ever since, for epublishers Samhain and EC and in print with St. Martin’s and Pocket. Lately I’ve dabbled my toes in the self epublishing waters while I took time off from deadlines to deal with a new baby

Did you always want to be a writer?
Since middle grade years, yes. I started writing every day at age 12, published my first short story at 14, and kept on going!

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
Hybrid. I plot loosely and leave room for things to develop. I need enough of a framework to construct the story but enough flexibility to let it take shape organically. This means certain details aren’t planned in advance but the big shape of the thing is. For instance, with ROPED I started off wanting to write a Christmas cowboy reunion romance and that dictated the setting and theme but left room for character development and relationship twists as I wrote Regan and Jonas’ story.

Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. The idea for Two Knights in Camelot came from watching a movie trailer for a King Arthur film and thinking, “If this was an EC story, Guinevere could have them both.” I wrote it and sold it to EC. My Neuri series (Animal Attraction, Mad Stone) started with a what-if. A common adoption fantasy is that in your real family you’re secretly a princess. What if you actually were, and one day they came to put you on the throne but instead of a dream come true it was a nightmare? That gave me Chandra’s story arc as a character and the world all built from there.

Sadly, ideas are the easy part. Crafting a consistent, coherent story full of coherent sentences is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
A Christmas wish reunites a former rodeo star with the one who got away.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
Fantasy, from kid’s stories like How to Train Your Dragon (I’m reading book 9 of that series right now) to urban fantasy. I especially love urban fantasy for the mystery and adventure, all the better if it has a strong romantic element.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
My favorite book of all time is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It was the first time I encountered a fantasy story with a female protagonist who wasn’t waiting to be rescued by a prince. Meg goes and does her own rescuing in this story, and she gets her prince, too.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
Hands down, the erotic scenes. They have to do more heavy lifting and have to succeed on more levels than any other scene. Funnily enough the first kiss scene is often more difficult than, say, a full on ménage scene. Because every first kiss is unique and has to do justice to this couple in this situation and even if I’ve done it a hundred times as an author, it has to be brand new when I write it for them.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
  • Lois McMaster Bujold, so I could grill her about any potential future Vorkosigan stories and/or finishing the Five Gods series. (One of the best books I’ve ever read was her Paladin of Souls in that world.)
  • Neil Gaiman to find out how he keeps his balance and stays so consistently productive and creative.
  • Stephen King to find out how he makes the most ordinary object or act infused with menace.
Happily, as a reader I can study all of the above even if I never get the chance to meet them in person. A novel by a master of their craft is a master class in fiction if you pay attention.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
Right now I’m putting the final touches on Visiting Hours, which will appear in The Mammoth Book of ER Romance, and then it’s back to work on Red Queen (Neuri series).


These cowboys ride hard...

There's a reason Western romance novels never go out of fashion. The cowboy is an iconic figure embodying the dichotomy of the fiercely independent, earthy alpha male crossed with the male as a nurturer and protector. Cowboys take care of their women in every possible way. Wild and wayward women are gentled by the scent of horse and cow and the sight of sun-kissed skin, the feel of work-hardened thighs and arms, and the sound of a deep-voiced Texas drawl.

Contributors at the top of the Western romance genre, including Charlene Teglia, Randi Alexander, Cat Johnson, and editor, Delilah Devlin, have corralled strong and memorable characters ranging from ranch hands to cattle barons, to a rodeo star and a feisty female gunslinger. Traversing romantic settings from Montana, Texas, California, Mexico, and the Outback of Australia, the stories in Cowboy Lust are risky and risqué, full of studs in spurs hot enough to send you to a vacation on a dude ranch!

Places to Purchase:


“Roped” by Charlene Teglia:

“Whoa, cowboy.” Regan started to roll away, but he caught her in a firm grip and started winding rope around her wrists with a speed that proved he deserved all his calf-roping wins. “Bondage? Really? What happened to hello?”

“Hello, Regan.” Jonas continued his work without pausing, making knots and securing the rope to the headboard. “This is my way of making sure you don’t run off before I’m finished with you.”

“I didn’t run off the last time,” Regan said, exasperated. “You’re a heavy sleeper.”

“Not that heavy.” Jonas took her shoes and after a quick glance around the room, opened the window and threw them outside into a snow bank.

“Hey!”

“Can’t run off in the snow barefoot,” Jonas said, crossing muscular arms over his broad chest as he stared down at her.

“Those weren’t mine,” Regan moaned. “They were Nancy’s. They didn’t come from Payless.”

“Nancy? That friend of yours who went off to become a supermodel before marrying the cowboy next door?”

“Yes.”

“She won’t miss them,” Jonas stated, the problem of the shoes moved off the table.

That was probably true. Regan switched to a topic that might actually get her somewhere. “What are you doing here, Jonas?”

“It’s my ranch.” He didn’t miss the surprise in her eyes. “Nancy didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Regan had assumed he’d left forever when he’d gone away and onto achieve whatever the town bad boy was destined for. The vague vision made her realize she hadn’t thought much about an adult Jonas; he’d stayed eighteen in her brain, the dangerous boy all the girls wanted, an impossible dream for a bookish, flat-chested girl.

Her impossible dream continued to stare down at her, but Regan was used to courtroom tactics and refused to let it intimidate her. She attempted to settle into a comfortable position, difficult with her wrists bound together and the length of rope allowing her minimal room to maneuver.

“Okay. You wanted to talk. Talk.”


Want to win some goodies? Check out what's for grabs if you comment.

Up for grabs:
  • 1 lucky commenter will from the ENTIRE tour will win a $50 Amazon Gift Card.
  • 1 lucky commenter will win ALL of the following items:
             *Cowboy Bad Boys (digital) by Randi Alexander
           *Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Lissa Matthews
           *Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Charlene Teglia 
           *Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Cari Quinn (x4)
           *"I'll show you my e-reader if you show me yours" T-shirt (Large size) from Kimber Vale
           *Reader’s Choice of any backlisted ebook by Delilah Devlin during her stops (x2)
           *Signed copies of Cowboy Fever by Delilah Devlin to two winners
           *Love in Short Order (digital), a romance by Michael Bracken writing as Rolinda Hay
           *Stud (digital), an erotic romance by Michael Bracken writing as Rolinda Hay

      To Enter:
      • Leave a meaningful comment or question. 
      • Please leave your email address along with your comment to be entered. No email address, no entry.
      • Giveaway ends August 24th.

      Good Luck =)

      34 comments :

      1. Great interview! Thanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!
        natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

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      2. Awesome interview--thanks for the peek at this new anthology!

        f dot chen at comcast dot net

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      3. This is my first introduction to Charlene Teglia. I am looking forward to reading her contribution & more.

        marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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      4. Thank you for hosting Charlene and Cowboy Lust today.

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      5. Who would have thought a first kiss would be the hardest scene to write but it makes sense. It is usually my favorite.
        usignolc(at)yahooDOTcom

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      6. Very nice interview and informative. I look forward to reading this book.

        Patches

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      7. Great excerpt, and I love the cover. How can you not love a cowboy.

        blinkysthebest at aol dot com

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      8. Thanks for a fun interview and excerpt! Congrats on the latest release! Sounds awesome!

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      9. This sounds like a really good book! I haven't read anything by Charlene Teglia, but this would be a good start. Thanks for a great giveaway!

        gatormaryd(at)yahoo(dot)com

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      10. I'm a longtime Charlene Teglia fan and enjoyed the interview. Charli's steamy hot romances are an auto buy for me.

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      11. Enjoyed the interview,it is always such fun finding new authors and their stories. Great excerpt, can't wait to read more about these characters.
        Jean
        skpetal at hotmail dot com

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      12. Great interview! I'm from Arizona and I'm here to tell you it just doesn't get any better than cowboys. :o)

        sandywolters dot author at gmail dot com

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      13. I always loved A WRINKLE IN TIME, too. The anthology looks great!

        vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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      14. I am excited to read this book..it sounds awesome! angadair @ nwcable dot net

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      15. Charlene, you have some great company in this anthology and mmmmmm hot cowboys! Should be a winner for you all around. Thanks Carin mawmom at gmail dot com

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      16. Thanks for sharing,sounds great and what a awesome giveaway too. :)

        reginamayross@gmail.com

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      17. I love the sound of this story because I love cowboy stories. It sounds as though you write about a lot of different people in different walks of life. How very talented you are.

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      18. Congrats on the new release. Thanks for the great interview and excerpt. This book sounds amazing. Can't wait to read it.

        e.balinski(at)att(dot)net

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      19. How lucky Charlene is to have a great author like Delilah edit her book!

        I LOVE that her favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time as it is mine too! I read that book numerous times and still have the worn out book in the attic!

        books4me67 at ymail dot com

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      20. Congrats on the new release. Thanks for the great interview and excerpt. This book sounds amazing. Can't wait to read it.

        parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

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      21. Nice excerpt and interview.

        bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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      22. Thanks for the interview! I love anthologies. I feel like I hit the jackpot of stories. And this one would be one of Hot Cowboys!!
        Mel
        bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

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      23. Great interview.I have read some of Charlene's books and enjoyed them.Can't wait to read her story in this anthology.Thanks for sharing the great excerpt too.
        elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

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      24. Great interview, I totally enjoyed it. When I saw Charlene's name it was like I should know that name. Then I remembered I'd read her books before. I'd love to read Cowboy Lust, it sounds amazing and I love the cover.
        luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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      25. Can't wait for this book to come out! Who doesn't loooove a cowboy and Jonas sounds just as hot. I love your work

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      26. I also loved A Wrinkle in Time. The book sounds great, I adore Christmas wish stories! Looking forward to reading it. Thanks for the giveaway,
        - lavendersbluegreen(at)yahoo(dot)com

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      27. Hot cowboy congrats all, love cowboys, great interview
        Kimh
        kimehak@yahoo.com

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      28. Great description of his rope tying skills.
        z
        Seawitch Reviews @ yahoo.com

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      29. I added the word tesseract to my vocabulary after reading A Wrinkle in Time...it was such a mind-expanding combination of sci-fi and brainy girl that I was thrilled! Thank you for the delightful excerpt (although I am still disturbed at his waste of a unsuspecting pair of shoes, lol). I will be looking for your works.
        elewkf1 at yahoo dot com

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      30. Can't wait to read this book!
        L. Payer
        jlipayer@att.net

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      31. Great interview Charlene! I am really looking forward to reasding all the anthologies in Cowboy Lust. Your story, Roped, sounds like a must read.

        kscathy@yahoo.com

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      32. Really enjoyed my visit today and the interview and loved the excerpt for "Roped" now I definitely want to read more!
        cms72023(at)gmail(dot)com

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      33. Oh Jonas is so my kinda hero. Love the excerpt!

        acade29@gmail.com

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      34. Hey there!

        I'm here to announce a winner:

        Natasha will receive her choice of any one backlisted ebook by Charlene Teglia

        ReplyDelete