Today we are happy to welcome to Book Lovers Inc. Laura Kaye who is here to celebrate the release of her steamy and titillating erotic novella Just Gotta Say and tell us a bit more about the story, the characters and even herself! Please give Laura a warm welcome and read on, you can even win a copy of Just Gotta Say for yourself!

Hi Laura, welcome to Book Lovers Inc! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?Laura: I’d be glad to! But, first, let me say a big thank you for hosting me at your place! I write paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance and have four books releasing in 2011—one of which just released last Friday (Just Gotta Say)! I’m also a wife, mom of two young girls, historian, and Marylander.

Stella: Describe a typical day of writing: are you a planner or pantser?Laura: Oh, total pantser. Usually the major plot points of a story come to me, but I never known exactly how it will unfold from scene to scene and chapter to chapter until I’m writing. I don’t really have a typical writing routine. I’m married with two young kids (ages 5 and 7) and have a full-time job, so I pretty much have to write when I can. Often, I write in the evenings after my girls go to sleep. I prefer larger chunks of writing time, but I’m getting better about writing even if I only have a half hour or an hour at a time. Twitter writing challenges like #wordwars and #1k1hr are really good for motivating me in those shorter windows of time.

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

Laura: Interesting question! I think there’s a lot of overlap. Both consider reading a main form of entertainment and a satisfying leisure activity. Both spend money on books. In my mind, though, a Book Lover is probably more apt to be interested in the author, follow her, go to signings, etc. They want the story behind the story, too. They’re likely to become fans, not just readers, if that distinction makes sense. They’re more likely to buy not just the books, but items related to the books. They want to celebrate the books they love in every way they’re available to them. Book Lovers are also probably more likely to review, because they feel a stake in the book. I’ve never thought about this question before, so I bet more will come to me yet. I’d love to hear blog readers’ views on this in the comments!

Stella: You write paranormal and contemporary romance novels. What attracted you to these genres? Do you prefer either?

Laura: Paranormal is my first love as a reader and a writer, but I love writing in multiple romantic genres. Each genre poses its own challenges, and I think dealing with those has helped me grow as a writer. I grew up in a family that believed in the supernatural, and that without question attracted me to all things paranormal. I like contemporary romance because they’re set in the world we live in, so it’s easy to imagine the story could really be true, actually take place, and maybe even happen to you and me!

Stella: Your latest release Just Gotta Say an erotic novella was released on September 30, what can we expect of Just Gotta Say?

Laura: *grins* You can expect to laugh out loud, squirm in your seat, and get hot and bothered! Here’s what the book’s about:

Callie Davis stumbles upon two of her three male roommates in a surprising, molten-hot midnight tryst and discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. Desire to play with them grips her, and she can’t stop fantasizing about having multiple men, particularly her three long-time best friends.

Callie is thrilled when a guys’ night out gives her the perfect opportunity to recreate her fantasy, with the help of a threesome porn video and a bag of sex toys. That is, until Lucas, Jack and Noah return early and catch her in the act. More than anything, the guys want to make her fantasy come true. But Callie has a secret, and she can’t help wondering if being with all three men will risk the future she’s always wanted with one of them.

As three strong sets of hands caress and undress her, Callie surrenders to desire, because sometimes you just gotta say…yes.

Stella: Was it a challenge and a bit intimidating to write such a steamy story or the words and scenes just flew?

Laura: Writing sex scenes comes relatively easy to me because I’m a visual writer. What I mean by that is I see the scenes in my stories playing out in my head like a movie. And I can move around the characters and physical setting as if they were 3-D. This makes writing all things physical easier. Now, I’ve never written anything quite this steamy, but I was less intimidated by writing the words than I am of readers’ reactions.

Stella: Can you summarize Just Gotta Say for us twitterstyle (140 characters or less)?

Laura:  In #Just Gotta Say, a friends2lovers ménage romance, a woman lives out her fantasy & hopes it brings her 2gether w/the man she’s always wanted

Stella: Can you please give a short profile introduction of the characters? 

Laura: 

Name: Callie Davis
Role: Heroine
Height/Weight: 5’7” 145 pounds
Physical Characteristics: Blonde hair, great curves, killer blue eyes
Distinctive Trait: According to Jack: “She was brilliant and made kick-ass French toast. And could beat all of them playing Halo.”
Best kept secret: Crush on Lucas
Secret fantasy: Being with all her best friends. At the same time.

Name: Lucas Branson
Role: Best Friend, Hero
Height/Weight: 6’1” 205 pounds
Physical Characteristics: Short brown hair, hazel eyes, unit insignia tat, deaf in one ear
Distinctive Trait: Shrapnel and surgical scars around his eye and over his ribs
Best kept secret: Crush on Callie
Secret fantasy: Having Callie all to himself.

Name: Jack Fenton
Role: Best Friend, Hero
Height/Weight: 6’0, 210 pounds
Physical Characteristics: shaggy sandy blond hair you want to bury your hands in
Distinctive Trait: Killer crooked smile, huge tribal tattoo on back
Best kept secret: Bisexual, though it’s not a big secret to those who know him
Secret fantasy: Jack’s so open with his sexuality, he doesn’t really need to fantasize, he does

Name: Noah Ryder
Role: Best Friend, Hero
Height/Weight: 6’3” 200 pounds
Physical Characteristics: mocha skin, golden eyes, wavy black hair
Distinctive Trait: Shy
Best kept secret and secret fantasy: For Noah, they’re the same thing—he wants Jack

Stella: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read Just Gotta Say?

Laura: 
1) It’s molten hot.
2) It’s laugh-out-loud funny.
3) And it’s sure to get you looking at your best guy friends in a whole new light.

Stella: Just Gotta Say has three mouthwatering, gorgeous and considerate heroes: Jack, Noah and Lucas. Callie is in love with one of them and I have to confess he made my heart flutter a bit more than the other two, but can you tell us if you have a favourite character of the three heroes? Was any of them more special/fun to write than the others?

Laura: Jack was the most fun to write, hands down. He was also the easiest to write. He was just easy going and carefree and had the most infectious positive personality. And, damn, he is sexy as hell. But he wasn’t my favorite—Lucas was/is. Lucas was harder to write, tormented characters always are, but I love them all the more for it. Here’s how Callie describes him:

Lucas Branson, whose broad shoulders, big hands, and too-infrequent smiles owned her. He had short, brown hair that curled at the ends when he let it grow, the most masculine and perpetually stubbled square jaw, and hazel eyes that reflected the anguish he carried inside. She’d never known anyone who looked so tough and serious on the outside, but was so broken-up and vulnerable on the inside. Sometimes her arms ached from the need to hold him, and she couldn’t restrain herself. She’d hug him and make a joke about it or roll her eyes like it was no big deal. No, nothing was complete without Lucas.

Stella: What shall we expect from you, what is next on your schedule?

Laura: Busy, busy, busy! *grins* My next book releases on November 1—it’s a contemporary fantasy romance called NORTH OF NEED that features the Anemoi, directional wind gods the Greeks associated with the seasons. It’s the first in a four-book series, with the other three books releasing throughout 2012. I also have the first in a vampire series releasing beginning in February. Right now, I’m writing book two in the Anemoi series.

Stella: Laura I have to ask you something: I wonder how you get so much writing done! You had 4  books released this year, then next year you also mention at least 4-5 books, how do you find to write so many stories especially with your daughters being so young? I’m amazed and curious! 


Laura: Well, things are a bit more crazy in my writing schedule now than they were a year or two ago, when I just kept writing new projects after I finished the previous one, whether or not the previous had yet sold. And then, within a year, I’d sold a total of nine books, five of which were finished, four of which I still need to write. Now, the real challenge is juggling book promotion with writing time for those contracted books, and that’s one I haven’t quite worked out. I’ve significantly reduced my sleep time–seriously!–and try to do a lot of my work after the girls have gone to bed at night (and luckily they are good sleepers, or I’d be soooo screwed! LOL), although my girls are used to mommy sneaking in some computer time and are pretty tolerant of it as long as they get some attention too! It helps that I’m a generally fast writer, too.

Stella: I have read on your website that in “real life” you are a historian and trained as an archeologist. I have always loved myths and reading about old times and places and how people lived back then. What started your fascination?

Laura: I grew up in Western Maryland, not far from the Antietam Battlefield, where a famous battle in the American Civil War occurred in September of 1862. As a kid, whenever I visited there, I almost felt like you could feel the “echo” of the battle, of the tens of thousands of men who died there. I know that sounds a bit weird, but remember I told you my family totally believed in the supernatural… I also lived in a nineteenth century house where we found evidence that a hidden room in the attic was likely a stop on the Underground Railroad. Plus, my family was interested in history, and we would visit historic sites on vacations, etc. All of these helped shape my interest in the past. When I visit historic sites, I find it so much easier to image what the past might’ve been like, and that helped spark my imagination and interest, too.

Stella: What kind of books/genres do you like to read? Any favourite authors/novels you’d recommend?

Laura: I spend most of my reading time in the genres I write, particularly paranormal romance and supernatural fiction. My favorite old-school authors are Stephen King and Anne Rice, and my more recent faves are J.R. Ward and Sherrilyn Kenyon, who I had the great, great pleasure to meet this past summer. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series is, hands down, my favorite paranormal series.

Stella: Can you share with us some little secret trivia, something that not many people know about you?

Laura: Hmmm…. I wrote some Twilight fan fiction. This isn’t news to people within that fandom, but maybe not something a lot of non-fans know. I wrote two complete novels within that fandom after I finished my first original novel (what became Forever Freed, the first novel I wrote and the first I sold). I got very sick for about a six-month period and wasn’t up to concentrating on my original writing, but I was really into all things Twilight then, and found fan fiction a great outlet and a great way to make online friends.

WANT TO WIN JUST GOTTA SAY? The Just Gotta Blog Tour started on Monday, 9/26 and continues through 10/12. See my blog post that lists all the dates and stop! A giveaway everyday!

A multi-published author of paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance, Laura Kaye’s hot, heartfelt stories are all about the universal desire for a place to belong. Laura is the author of the bestselling contemporary romance HEARTS IN DARKNESS and the bestselling and award-nominated paranormal romance FOREVER FREED. JUST GOTTA SAY is Laura’s third published book and debut erotic romance. Her fourth book, contemporary fantasy romance NORTH OF NEED, is the first in a 4-book series and releases November 1. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

 

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Laura has generously offered an ebook copy of Just Gotta Say to a lucky commenter!

 

 

Which types of erotic stories do you most enjoy reading and why?


What in your opinion is the difference between a reader and a real Book Lover?

 

 (You can read our full giveaway policy here)