Cari Quinn

Please join us in welcoming Cari Quinn to BLI today! Cari wrote her first story—a bible parable in 2nd grade, much to the delight of the nuns at her Catholic school. Once she saw the warm reception that first tale garnered, she was hooked. She attempted her first romance in junior high, long before she’d ever read one. Writing what she knew always took a backseat to what she wanted to know, and that still holds true today.

Cari is here to celebrate the publication of her latest contemporary romance No Dress Required released on Christmas Day and is part of Entangled Publishing’s new Flirts and Ever After lines!

Lea: Cari! Welcome to BLI, thank you so much for joining us today! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cari: Thank you so much for having me! I’m a multi-published author of mainly erotic romance but I’m branching out into more mainstream, sexy contemporary romance in 2012. I love coffee, men’s college basketball (my team, the Syracuse Orange are currently number one in the country!) and spend every spare moment reading. My first love will always be music and I still often tear up when I see someone performing live.

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

Cari: My typical writing days aren’t typical at all. Some days I write a couple thousand words but usually during the work week I’m lucky to squeeze out 500 words a day. And then I go through sprees. Last Monday and Tuesday I wrote 13K in two days because I was on a deadline but normally my word count’s a lot lower.

I’m a pantser though I’ve made many attempts to change that. I’ve written a few books where I had to write the synopsis first in order to sell it but those finished books rarely resemble the outline when I’m done. Whenever I try to guide my characters where it would be easier for me to go as a writer, I usually have to go back and revise. That’s where I’m at with my current work-in-progress actually!

Lea: What can we expect of No Dress Required?

Cari: Readers can expect a fun, sensuous story that will make them laugh and maybe even get a little teary-eyed. Jake and Noelle have a good time together, even when they’re not sure exactly what the other’s thinking. Or feeling. Even so, they usually find common ground…eventually.

Lea: Please tell us a little more about sexy hero Jake’s background, he’s been through a bad break-up hasn’t he?

Cari: Yeah, poor Jake’s not feeling too sure of himself after his ex left him for another man—one Jake had no hope of competing with! He’s spent some time up north and now he’s back in town to face what he left behind. The last thing he expects is to be hammered by his attraction to Noelle. Then again, he’d had some near-misses before he left, when somehow his mouth ended up too close to her lips. He’s fighting to reclaim his self-confidence and to regain his sure footing and his feelings for Noelle definitely leave him shaky for a whole new reason!

Lea: Noelle is the victim of a traumatic carjacking which throws a major wrench into her New Years Eve plan to seduce her best friend’s brother but you lighten the tone of this novella with humor. I’ve read a number of your stories now and there is often a humorous slant. Does the humor punch through in your natural voice or do you gauge it according to the nature of the tale?

Cari: Thank you for noticing that! I’m at my most comfortable when I’m writing romantic comedy, whether it is erotic or more subtle. I tend to be a bit of a joker in my day-to-day life and that definitely carries over into my writing. Occasionally I try to tone down my snark but I usually manage to combine some sort of humor with most of the stories I write. Finding a balance between light and dark can be challenging but it’s so worth it.

Lea: The fact that Jake is the older brother of Noelle’s best friend makes for some great conflict in this story because while has had naughty thoughts regarding his sister’s BF, Jake has never acted on them for obvious reasons. One of the things I really liked about this story is the quick witted banter. Noelle is feisty and sharp tongued and has had her eye on Jake for a long time. She really gives him a hard time doesn’t she? lol

Cari: Thank you! Yep, she sure does! Some of my favorite books have amazing banter between the hero and heroine and I love that aspect of character development. So much can be revealed through dialogue and the way a character says something as well as what they’re saying.

Here’s an example of Noelle and Jake doing what they do best—sparring. Well, one of the things they do best anyway! 😉

“I already told you, ” Jake said. “I’m not going. Maybe you should just head home. You can party next weekend. You’ve had a trying day and it’s supposed to snow all night. We could get six inches.”

“Oh no! Six whole inches?” Noelle slapped her hands to her cold-stung cheeks and he scowled. “If it’s snowing, I’d better hide inside. Because snow is so scary. I could get trapped somewhere without milk or bread! Or I suppose I could plan ahead and invite a guy over. He could stop by the store on the way. But what if he forgets condoms? Then we’d have to try the cling wrap and butter method.”

Okay, she didn’t know where that had come from. Cling wrap? Butter? Ick. But Jake’s horrified expression made it all worthwhile.

“You seriously better be joking. If you’ve been taking chances with protection…”
Noelle shook her head. Jake not only thought she was a child, he considered her really stupid. And possibly weird.

“You’re unreal, you know that? Ever heard of a joke? Besides, I don’t think that’s even possible. Eww.”

Lea: Great snippet! Thanks for sharing. lol

Are there any secondary characters that hold important roles in this story Cari or do you focus on the hero and heroine given this is a novella?

Cari: While the focus is definitely on Jake and Noelle, Jake’s sister Alexa does play a small role. She’s Noelle’s best friend. I’m actually about to start working on NO FLOWERS REQUIRED, Alexa’s story. Her nickname is Type A, so I think her story will be fun!

Lea: Fans are accustomed to your erotic romances Cari but No Dress Required is much lighter regarding sensuality. Would you say it’s light or sweet as far as intimacy levels?

Cari: The phrase I’ve used to describe No Dress Required is sweetly erotic. The characters do become intimate but the focus is more on how they’re feeling emotionally and what taking this step will mean for their relationship than the physical aspects. Readers have told me they definitely think the story sexy but that it has a more innocent, almost first love type of feeling. That works for me! I’m planning to include more sexy contemporaries in my writing schedule along with my erotic stories. I’m hoping to find a good balance between the two going forward.

Lea: Was this one tougher for you to write or do are the erotics more difficult?

Cari: My erotic books are much harder for me to write. Lighter, humorous romantic stories like No Dress Required seem to be where my voice naturally wants to go but as a writer I’m always pushing my own boundaries. Some of the things I’ve written about have required research and a lot of reflection to get them as “right” as I can. If I feel that I’ve done the best I could with my characters at that time then I move on to the next book and continue trying to improve.

Lea: No Dress Required is 61 pages and you’ve penned a warmhearted cohesive novella, offering readers a feel good short romantic read. Do you find novellas difficult to write regarding plot development? I always think it must be difficult for writers to fit their characters whole story in a short or novella length.

Cari: Thank you! Novellas are extremely challenging to write. I’ve written a handful of them around the same length and it can be difficult to juggle all the elements of a good story. When you’re crunched for word count, I’ve found one or two strong quirks can help to define a character. While I may leave out a few details, I try not to skimp on the emotional aspects.

But I have to say it’s awfully fun to get to know a hero and heroine quickly and to get that satisfying payoff without a huge time investment! That’s one of the things I love about Entangled Publishing’s new Flirt and Ever After lines. Flirts are romances of 10-15K, while Ever Afters are 20-40K. As a reader as well as a writer, these sensual, fast-paced, romantic reads are just what I’m looking for!

No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Formats Available: Kindle, Nook, eBook
Purchasing Info: Author’s Website, Publisher, Goodreads, Kindle, Nook

Book Blurb:

After years of ho-hum dating, Noelle Gregory is tired of fooling around. There’s only ever been one guy for her—Jake Conroy, her best friend’s older brother. Now that Jake’s back in town, she’s headed to his sister’s New Year’s Eve party to make her move. Purse full of condoms? Check. Sparkly dress guaranteed to show Jake the sexy woman she’s become? Check.

Carjacker that makes off with both two hours before the party? Check.

When Jake finds Noelle stranded on the side of the road—looking sexier than ever in her striped socks and silly holiday shirt, damn it—he’s glad for the snowstorm that cancels his sister’s party. His and Noelle’s friendship has tormented him for years, and now, Jake wonders if he should dare to sample what he’s always wanted…and if he’ll be able to walk away when it’s over.

Lea: Would you like to share an excerpt from No Dress Required with readers Cari?

Cari: Absolutely! Readers can read Chapter One by visiting the Entangled Website.

Lea: What can readers look forward to next from the desk of Cari Quinn?

Cari: I’m so glad you asked! My next release will be my first novel-length sexy contemporary story, Virgin Territory, with Decadent Publishing. It’s a story about a male erotic romance author who has only a few weeks to get his book done—except he gets shot defending the heroine during a convenience store and holdup. His resulting painful shoulder injury will make finishing his book difficult, unless he finds someone to help him! (Hint, hint!)

After that I’m releasing Heart Signs with Ellora’s Cave. It’s a short novel about a hero grieving a major loss and the woman who falls in love with him through the love letters he writes via billboard to his dead wife. (This probably falls into the “off-the-beaten path” sort of story I tend to like to write!)

Lea: Sounds awesome! 🙂

Can you summarize No Dress Required for us twitterstyle (in 140 characters or less)?

Cari: Sure can! Here’s one of my actual tweets I used to promote the story.

Want to read a sexy, fun New Year’s book that starts with a carjacking & ends in a HEA? Try NO DRESS REQUIRED.

Lea: Now the hard question! lol Please tell us 3 reasons why people should read your books?

Cari: Oh man, you’re a hard hitting interviewer! For one, I tend to write with some snark in most of my stories, so if that’s up your alley, there’s a chance you might enjoy my books. I also love quirky characters. Hopefully you’ll find my work a bit off-the-beaten-path, like the billboard story I mentioned earlier. And lastly, I never forget the romance. I’m a romantic at heart and have been reading and writing romance for years. I love to make a reader cry – hopefully happy tears! – as well as laugh.

Lea: Cari, thank you so much for joining us at Book Lovers today! It’s been such a pleasure to talk about your writing process and No Dress Required!

Cari: Thank you so much for having me today! I love visiting Book Lovers Inc!

Where to find Cari:

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

No Dress Required by Cari Quinn

Entangled Publishing has generously offered a Digital copy of No Dress Required to one lucky commenter! 🙂

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about Cari’s interview or a question for her!
(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 Internationally!

Giveaway ends on Saturday, January 28, 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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