Please join me in giving a warm BLI welcome to autor Olivia Cunning who delighted readers with her sexy erotic novel Backstage Pass, the first story in the Sinners On Tour series that was released in October 2010. Ms. Cunning combines her love of romantic fiction and rock ‘n roll, writing romance centered around rock musicians. Backstage Pass was greeted with rave reviews along with a number of award nominations. Olivia’s next highly anticipated novel Rock Hard, will hit the stands on April 1, 2011!

BLI: Olivia, welcome to Book Lovers! It’s such a thrill to be able to talk to you today.

Olivia: Thanks for having me!

BLI: Olivia can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Olivia: I typically keep my writing life separate from my real life, but I suppose it’s safe to reveal a little of my Clark Kent side. In real life, I’m a college instructor who teaches Human Anatomy and Physiology. My masters degree is in Pathobiology and Molecular Medicine (that a mouthful!) I’ve been happily divorced for fifteen years. Yes, happily. My only son is a senior in high school (yikes!) and heading off to college this fall (sob! and yay!). I have a poorly behaved, squirrel-hating miniature dachshund, am a horrible housekeeper, and love roller coasters, the beach and mountains, but live in central Nebraska (which has none of the above). I’ve been writing for-like-ever, but am just recently published. Obviously, I love music and concerts. The last concert I went to was Avenged Sevenfold’s Nightmare After Christmas Tour in February. Was awesome! I also love role playing video games, but don’t have time to geek-out these days. This sounds like a personal ad. I should post it on Online-Dates-R-Us or something.

BLI: LOL!!

Describe a typical day of writing? Are you a planner or pantser?

Olivia: I write on the weekends almost exclusively. I have to work around the professional day job “thing” and am just too exhausted at the end of the work day to do much on a creative level. On the day or two a week I actually can write, I’ll write up to 8000 words in one sitting. I’m a plantser (plant sir?). I start with a loose idea for a plot and write the first half of a novel in spectacular pantser fashion. I then go back and read what I have written and make a list of problems I need to solve by the end of the book. I come up with one or two solutions for each problem and finish the book with more of a plan.

BLI: What do you think is the difference between a reader and a real Book Lover?

Olivia: Readers read. Book lovers read more. A little hording of books may be involved. Stroking of the covers. Sniffing of the pages. Yeah, it’s an obsession.

Synopsis:

Sinner’s lead singer, Sed, had his heart shredded when Jessica left him to pursue her dreams,so when she dances her way back into his life, he’s not sure he’s ready for her brand of pain, or pleasure, again. When she convinces Sed to engage in a benefits with benefits relationship, things seem to be going his way, until one of his fans catches their explicit public display of affection on film and posts it all over the internet.

Will Jessica ever trust Sed again?

And has Sed become the man of Jessica’s dreams or is he just posing to get what he wants?

Excerpt Chapter 1
Excerpt Chapter 2

BLI: What can we expect of Rock Hard?

Olivia: Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Did I mention sex? Much of it public, though discreet. While a lot of Myrna and Brian’s romance was a physical journey (that’s all Myrna could handle at first – Brian’s a bit intense), Sed and Jessica’s is much more emotional. A full gamut of emotions. They still have lots of sensational sex (LOTS), but because they’ve been involved before, the emotions between the two (good and bad) are intense. There are several surprises in store as well. Rhythm guitarist, Trey, has some tough times in this one and Sed, the solid rock of the group, is there for him. Yeah, I said Sed is the rock. Why did you think the book was called Rock Hard? Okay, I’ll admit it, that’s rock hard, too. Frequently!

BLI: Yes, “it” is isn’t it? 😉

I’m one of your readers that has eagerly anticipated the publication Rock Hard, and you didn’t disappoint. Backstage Pass was laugh out loud funny, nuclear grade hot, along with being a really special love story with endearing characters. I wasn’t too sure how you would continue to develop Sed’s character in Rock Hard because he came across as having this enormous ego and was a compulsive womanizer in Backstage Pass. But, you have some surprises in store for readers with regard to the lead singer of the Sinners. Can you share a little more about Sed’s character with readers?

Olivia: Oh, Sed… You poor, misunderstood, cocky asshole. When you read Backstage Pass, you might wonder why Sed’s band mates put up with his crap. The band has been together for ten years. They all (except Jace) knew Sed before his ex-fiancée, Jessica, shredded his heart two years ago. The reader just sees how Sed acts after he’s been hurting and festering for a couple years. You don’t get much of a history with him in Backstage Pass and because Sed has a tendency to purposely mess-up Brian’s romantic relationships, it’s hard to get into his head and understand his motivations. In Rock Hard, you’re in Sed’s head (don’t be scared!) and get an up close and personal look into his huge heart. Why he acts like he does. How it makes him feel. The man loves fiercely and forever. Unfortunately, he tends to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. His tendency to want to protect comes across as controlling, and his heroine does not respond well to that kind of posturing. It takes her a while to recognize what a selfless, loving, good man he really is. Through his actions. I think the reader will catch on to Sed’s true self quickly. If only he was better at expressing himself…

BLI: Like Myrna, from Backstage Pass, you’ve created another unique heroine in Jessica, who actually has quite a history with Sedric. Can you talk a little about Jessica’s character and her background with Sed?

Olivia: Jessica is fiercely independent, intelligent, and has big dreams of becoming a defense attorney. She expects perfection from herself and has a real fear of failure. She also has one hell of a temper. There isn’t an ounce of doormat in this woman. Everything about Jessica drives Sed to distraction. He’s used to woman bending over backward (forward, sideways, upside-down) to please him and Jessica calls him on his behavior and doesn’t put up with his b.s. Their history? They fell for each other two years ago and quickly got engaged. And just as quickly split. They didn’t have time to really get to know each other the first time, so even though they have a history, when they get back together (with Jessica kicking and screaming the entire time), they not only have to get over past hurt feelings, but also have to find a way to make it work. Two personalities as strong as these two are going to clash. A lot. And it’s sexy as hell.

BLI: The dialogue in your books is hilarious, you seem to have insight as to how these guys who are part of an extremely popular rock band would converse and behave. You indicate in your website Bio that you were raised on hard rock music from the cradle. Have you actually interviewed rock stars in the past or ever been “on the road”?

Olivia: I wish! No, unfortunately, but I do watch a lot of rock star documentaries. Interviews. Videos. You might say I’m obsessed. I play close attention to speech patterns. The guys in Sinners “talk” to me when I write and each has a different way of talking. I love to write dialogue.

BLI: Well,your research shows because I think you emulate their lifestyle extremely well. 🙂

The Sinners have their own webpage where there is a tour itinerary posted, Bio’s for each of the guys, Disography, the whole nine yards! Are their tour stops in the books etc. reflected on the website and vice versa?

Olivia: Yes. The tour dates posted on the site right now correspond with Backstage Pass. I need to go update the site soon to reflect the schedule in Rock Hard. I didn’t want to give any spoilers. Something happens with some of the tour dates due to *censored plot twist*.

BLI: I think the band website is brilliant by the way! LOL Did you design it and do you maintain it?

Olivia: I did design it. Wow, was that ever a steep learning curve, but I enjoy doing it. Web design is a different form of creativity. I try to maintain the site, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day. I do a slightly better job maintaining and updating my author website.

BLI: I LOVE the humor in your books! And, one really needs the fan running and ice water nearby while reading the erotic scenes Olivia! LOL

Olivia: Thanks! I try.

BLI: Will there be more books in this series? What is next on your schedule?

Olivia: I’ve already written Jace’s and Eric’s books and am working on Trey’s. There will be five books in the series when it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, my publisher hasn’t given me a release date for the next book yet. And yes, it’s driving me insane.

BLI: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Olivia: Characters! The guys of Sinners are all irresistible, unique, and lovable. I enjoy hearing which band member readers love the most. Each one of them has their own little fan club. Naturally, I love them all.

The series is fun! It has serious moments, too, but it will keep you laughing throughout.

All the hot, hot sex. If you don’t like explicit sex scenes, these books are not for you. Leave your prude juice on the drink aisle, sister. Ultimately, they’re love stories, but my rock stars have very healthy sexual appetites as do their heroines. You have been warned.

BLI: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us at Booklovers today Olivia, it’s been a thrill chatting with you!

Olivia: My pleasure.

Where to find Olivia:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Sinners On Tour Website

~*~*Giveaway*~*~

Olivia has generously offered an inscribed copy of winner’s choice of either Backstage Pass or Rock Hard to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about the interview.
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please leave us a way to contact you.
(Email in blogger profile or twitter name – no way to contact you – no entry).

This giveaway is open worldwide!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, April 2, 2011; and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

About Lea

Lea is an animal loving, tree hugging vegetarian who lives in Toronto, Canada with her family, which includes three dogs. She is a prolific reader and has been blogging and reviewing since 2008. Lea is a contributor at the USA Today HEA Blog and an active member at Goodreads.

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