Ramblings From This Chick: Guest Post with Author Violetta Rand and Giveaway

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Guest Post with Author Violetta Rand and Giveaway

Meet Violetta Rand author of Sin.

Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Violetta Rand spent her childhood reading, writing, and playing soccer. After meeting her husband in New England, they moved to Alaska where she studied environmental science and policy as an undergraduate before attending graduate school. Violetta then spent nearly a decade working as an environmental scientist, specializing in soil and water contamination and environmental assessments.

Violetta still lives in Anchorage, Alaska and spends her days writing evocative New Adult romance and historical romance. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, she enjoys time with her husband, pets, and friends. In her free time, she loves to hike, fish, and ride motorcycles and 4-wheelers.

Catching up with Violetta Rand

1) What am I working on?

A big smile is plastered to my face because this is where I get to share my next series—Lies and Leather. What happens when you mix hot cops and motorcycle racing? Anything.

First up, Loving Lucas…

Twenty-one-year-old Karlie Augustine is a survivor. She’s smart and tough, but she’s in too deep with a bad boyfriend who isn’t above breaking her spirit—or her body. Luckily, help arrives in the form of a leather-clad, motorcycle-riding hunk on the right side of the law. Lucas Lafontaine is pure muscle, a Corpus Christi cop who ignites something primal deep within Karlie. And when he offers her room and board in exchange for housekeeping, she finally starts to feel safe again.   As their arrangement turns deliciously decadent, Lucas gets hooked on Karlie’s killer body and fighting spirit. He wants to heal the pain he sees behind her eyes, but to protect her he needs to keep her close, especially now that her psycho ex won’t take a hint. Even as Lucas fights his own battle for custody of his young son, he knows that what he’s found with Karlie is real—and that he’d do anything to protect the woman he wants to take to the finish line.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

One of my favorite tidbits of advice for writing romance is—innovate, don’t imitate. That said, there’s unspoken expectations from all publishers, the most persistent, that highly desired HEA.

I read as much as I can, learning every day from the writers I admire most. I keep a mental list of dos and don’ts, then follow my heart.

Readers are the best source for identifying what stands out about my stories and where I need to make improvements.

So here’s the short list of what stands out in my stories…

Hot alpha males/including their POVs in the story
Scorching chemistry/sex scenes
Overall writing style

3) Why do I write what I do?

I've been in love with books since early childhood. My favorite game (endlessly tortured my brothers and sisters), library—I issued membership cards and stamped due dates in the back of my books.

I wrote short stories and poetry in high school, then graduated to fantasy. Of course life took over and I attended college, got married, and pursued a career as a scientist. It wasn’t until two years ago that I picked up my first romances (4), read them, and finally realized I wanted in.

It’s all about overcoming everyday obstacles that keep us from our dreams for me. How do two people who normally wouldn’t fall in love, find it together?

As long as I’m in love with love, I’ll keep writing romance. After all, doesn’t the road always bring us back to love?

4) How does your writing process work?

I really don't have one. I’m terribly undisciplined and impatient, so I just sit and write. No plotting. No outline. Research is completed as I go. Definitely not the suggested process, and I admire the writers who diligently plot and outline. As I continue to mature as a writer, that process might change (wink-wink).

Sin proves that passion goes beyond smoldering desire when hearts dance to their own special beat.

Every woman at the Devil’s Den strip club has a story to tell, and Macey Taylor is no exception. Smart and self-reliant, she’s got a chip on her shoulder, a broken heart, and no patience for a sexy new manager with an Ivy League pedigree and a strict set of rules. Macey prefers to break rules, something she lets Joshua Camden know from the start—even as he ignites a fire in her that goes beyond the hottest club in town.

Joshua is working the Devil’s Den for all it’s worth, learning everything he can about the adult-entertainment game before investing in a place of his own. Macey is a surprise: a woman as strong-willed as she is gorgeous. Joshua wants to get inside her world, to see through her eyes. But he soon discovers that seduction is a two-way street—and expecting redemption without risking his heart may be the greatest sin of all.

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