Think the boardroom couldn’t possibly be as sexy as the bedroom? Think again–and author Addison Fox knows exactly why. Today it’s our pleasure to welcome Addison to Book Lovers Inc, where we get the chance to chat a bit about the characters and characteristics of Tempting Acquisitions, the first book in her new contemporary romance series from Entangled Publishing. It’s going to bring a whole new meaning to the notion of mergers and acquisitions. ^_^ (Be sure to stay tuned for a chance to win a copy of Tempting Acquisitions)!

———-

Stella: Hi Addison, welcome to Book Lovers Inc! Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

Addison: Thanks so much for having me!!

I’m a romance writer across genres and have been published in paranormal and contemporary as well as series length contemporary and, coming up in July, series length romantic suspense. I absolutely love romance in all forms and am an avid reader in addition to my love of writing. I live in Dallas and have been writing since the late 90s, with my first book contracted in November of 2008.

Stella: Are you a planner or pantser? Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? How did your novel come to life?

AF:  I think I fall more on the pantser side of things, and that’s really because for me the writing of the book is when I tell myself the story. That said, I do have a general idea of where things are going – and need to – as part of the sales process. My publishers like having a thoroughly vetted synopsis before I start the story so they have a sense that I know where I’m going.

Of course, it’s the characters’ detours on the way to telling the story that end up providing so much fun!

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

AF: I can only speak for myself on this one, but I realized a key fact about my personality a few years ago. I’d had a terrible day at work and stopped at Barnes & Noble on my way home and was just roaming the store, browsing and looking for new books. I was living in New York at the time, so as I walked the remaining blocks home to my apartment it dawned on me that the entire trip to the store had been very therapeutic and relaxing. It was in that moment that I realized I was a true book lover. Books are a necessity for me in my life.

Stella: Tempting Acquisitions, your Entangled Indulgence debut novel, and the 1^st book in your Boardrooms & Billionaires series was released this month, congratulations! Could you tell our readers what they can expect of this series and tell us how the books will be connected (any secondary characters who will make an appearance in subsequent books? Family members/friends, etc?)?

AF: Thank you!! I’m thrilled Tempting Acquisitions has made it out to readers. I had a ton of fun with this book and the subsequent two books in the series. The McBride sisters have brought their family magazine empire back from the brink of disrepair and, in book 1, we meet Keira McBride, CEO. As the book opens, the family is threatened with a hostile takeover from corporate raider, Nathan Cooper.

Of course, sparks fly immediately between Keira and Nathan (it IS a romance!!) 🙂 and the two are forced to work through their personal lives on a very professional stage.

Keira’s two sisters, Camryn (CFO) and Mayson (Director of Marketing/Head of Design) will have their own books as well. Mayson’s book, Merger to Marriage, will be released in May and Camryn’s book, The Billionaire’s Demands, will be out in October.

Stella: Now could you tell our readers what they can expect of Tempting Acquisitions? 

One of the things I most enjoy about writing romance is putting two characters in a relationship who seemingly don’t belong together, either due to personality or circumstance (or often both!) I think the joy of love is that it forces us to stretch and work to be better people.

This was especially true of Keira and Nathan in Tempting Acquisitions. Both have built professional careers that have required a lot of each of them, while also having very specific personal overtones of family and childhood hurts. The both know that their careers are just that – their careers – yet each has a tremendous amount to lose to the other.

Here’s a fun passage I really like. Keira’s been fighting her attraction to Nathan, but she knows she has feelings for him. He’s been very vocal about his attraction to her but thinks (mistakenly, of course!!) that he can separate their business lives from their personal lives.

I really wanted to acknowledge the incredibly powerful attraction between them, but also not ignore the fact that this leap into the physical has consequences.

Desire pounded heavy in his veins as Nathan waited for Keira’s answer. He hadn’t had to ask a woman into his bed since he was a teenager, and it wasn’t until that moment that he realized how spoiled he’d been by that. Of course, the stakes had never been higher.

“You really believe that? You honestly can stand there and tell me you think you can separate the work from what’s between us?” She stared up at him. “Just put all of it into compartments?”

“Yes, I can.”

She shook her head at that. “And tomorrow morning, when the heat has passed. What then?”

He couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his features at her words. “Baby, it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than one night to cool the fire between us.”

Although the comment had sparked to life as a tease, as he spoke the words, he knew there was more to it. He wanted this woman with a ferocity that caught him off guard, even as it tempted him in ways he’d never felt before. This insatiable desire scared him, he admitted to himself. He’d never been a man to allow his wants to interfere with his ability to think, but he’d done damn little thinking in the last week.

Her dark gaze continued to drink him in while heavy chords of desire pounded through his overwrought body. And then that gaze dropped to the ground as whispered words floated toward him. “I like you too much to have regrets.”

Stella: Could you introduce the hero and heroine of Tempting Acquisitions to us? 

AF: I thought it might be best to introduce Keira and Nathan from the other’s point of view and give you a sense of what the other sees.

Keira whirled in the direction of a husky, deep voice, the butterflies in her stomach taking wing. Nathan stood a few feet away, clad head-to-toe in a custom-fitted tuxedo. Heat swept through her body even as she felt goose bumps stirring on her flesh. His tuxedo covered a very impressive set of shoulders and a wide chest before tapering down to a trim waist. Long legs had him standing about six foot two, by Keira’s estimation, and all that height was topped off by a shock of black hair that curled deliciously at the nape of his neck. He might be dressed in a three-thousand-dollar tuxedo, but she couldn’t stop her assessment. He even looked like a pirate.

It was all in the eyes, she realized. They were a vivid shade of blue, full to the brim with the clear intention of plundering and looting his way through her company. She fought the rush of heat that flooded her chest when it finally sunk in that his gaze was leveled straight on her. Funny how the feeling that he was primed to plunder and loot only grew stronger.

And far more personal.

And now for Nathan’s impression of Keira:

As he flipped off his phone, an image of Keira McBride flickered through Nathan’s mind.

With startling clarity, he recalled the oval shape of her face, set off by high cheekbones, and the rich shade of her eyes. Dark and sensual, they captivated and intrigued. They were the eyes of a temptress with a gaze that could make a man forget himself.

And then later, when they’re together at a formal business function:

She was magnificent.
 It really was the only apt description. The black gown she wore was a stunning number, simple in design, yet form-fitted enough to ensure anyone who looked at her knew she was all woman. Her dark hair was pulled up into an elegant twist and the long column of her throat enticed him as he imagined pressing kisses along its length.

Stella: If Tempting Acquisitions were made into a movie, who would be your dream cast?

AF: This is always a fun game to play! When I’m writing I really don’t see specific people, but rather, this composite in my head of each character, but after the work’s done, this is always a fun exercise.

I’d say Nathan is Hugh Jackman all the way. The long, lean, powerful body and the dark hair – yummy! And then I see Keira as an Olivia Wilde or maybe Eva Green.

Stella: Tempting Acquisitions not only features a powerful businessman but also a successful CEO heroine. How challenging was it to make Keira a heavy-weight savvy businesswoman to have succeeded in this men’s world of business and yet have her be a feminine, soft woman at the same time?

AF: That is a great question! I’m fascinated by strong characters – both the hero and the heroine – but there is definitely a balance in writing each so that they come off sympathetic. For me, one of the keys to doing that with Keira – and her sisters in the subsequent books – was to show their camaraderie as sisters and how hard they’ve worked to restore their family legacy. The sisters have a lot of childhood grief and sadness – their father’s emotional abandonment and the loss of their mother to breast cancer – and it’s shaped who they are as people. Giving them a cause that goes well beyond a simple drive for success or money was key in making them people I cared about and, hopefully, my readers will feel the same.

Stella: Now can you tell us 3 reasons why people should read Tempting Acquisitions?

AF: So with full disclosure that I’m biased!! 🙂 here goes…

1. Nathan and Keira have a seriously hot chemistry with each other.
2. The McBride sisters are women you’d like to have a glass of wine with and get to know – they’re your sisters, your friends, your co-workers.
3. Not only is Nathan hot, but he’s got hot friends/siblings. His business associate, Holt Turner, will be the hero of Merger to Marriage and his half-brother, Booth Harrison, will be the hero of The Billionaire’s Demands.

Stella: Could you please summarize Tempting Acquisitions for us Twitter-style (in 140 characters or less)?

From boardroom to bedroom, two strong-willed people are in the corporate fight of their lives…and their hearts.

Stella: Can you tell us any behind the scenes secret about the novel (either related to the writing process or how a character/scene turned out way different than it was originally intended to, if any character was based on real life acquaintances, etc.)?

AF: This book actually has a lot of behind the scenes for me because it’s set in a world I’m quite familiar with. I’ve worked in advertising for the last 17 years, specifically in media planning and buying. A huge portion of my job is working with media companies, like the one I’ve written about in the series.

While very few jobs are as glamorous as they seem on the surface, the magazine industry still has a pretty glossy shine to it glamor-wise and I wanted to leverage that in the writing of this in the books.

Stella: How many books are you planning on having in the Boardrooms & Billionaires series? What is next on your schedule? Any future plans you’d like to share with us?

AF: Right now there are three books in the series – one for each McBride sister. I haven’t ruled out staying in this world at all and that will be an upcoming discussion with my editor after we get through the final revisions on Camryn’s book!

I’ve also got two contemporary single title releases this year – Just in Time – the third in my Alaskan Nights series for NAL releases in August. A related e-novella – From This Moment On – will be out the month before. And in July I’m also kicking off a series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense called the House of Steele (think Thomas Crown Affair meets Leverage) with a book called The Paris Assignment.

Stella: Could you share with us something, a trivia that not many people know about you?

AF: You don’t expect me to give away all my secrets, now do you? 🙂

That said, while I spend a good portion of my day behind a computer, I’m fairly adventurous – within limits (usually limits involving a harness…). I’ve climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, gone skydiving and I absolutely LOVE roller coasters. I love the exhilaration of getting out in the world and meeting new people and learning about their slice of life. I’ve been fortunate to travel and have set foot on five different continents. I feel incredibly blessed for the people in my life and those I continue to meet through both my advertising and my writing careers.

I believe every one of us has a story and dreams and passion inside of us. Sometimes all it takes is a warm smile and a willingness to listen to discover the magic in the people around us.

———-

Addison Fox can’t remember a time when words weren’t part of her life. An avid reader, her love of the written word started at the tender age of one with The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear (a poem she could recite by heart to any family member who would listen.) Dr. Seuss, C.S. Lewis, Judy Blume and a host of others quickly followed until she discovered THE CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR by Jean M. Auel while writing a paper at the library in the seventh grade. Although not a classic romance, Ayla and Jondalar’s love story moved her firmly into the romance section and she hasn’t looked back!

Her paranormal romance series, The Sons of the Zodiac, launched with NAL in March of 2010. The series recounts the adventures (and path to true love!) for an immortal band of warriors, granted the powers of their astrological signs and charged with protecting humanity. Beginning in November 2011, Addison will have a new contemporary series on shelves as well. BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE is the first in the Alaskan Nights series. Set in the fictional town of Indigo, Alaska, a couple of city girls are about to learn that the wide open spaces of Alaska just may hold everything they’re looking for.

Addison lives in Dallas. She loves to get email from readers.

Find more Addison at:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tempting Acquisitions (Boardrooms & Billionaires, #1)
by Addison Fox

CEO Keira McBride has put more than a decade of blood, sweat, and tears into restoring her family’s magazine empire and knows she can handle any business challenge thrown her way…until sexy billionaire and corporate raider Nathan Cooper makes a play for her legacy.

Nathan’s not accustomed to losing and neither is Keira. When an all-consuming attraction threatens to devour them both, Nathan makes it clear he wants to move their relationship out of the boardroom and into the bedroom. Keira knows it’s going to be the negotiation of her life and the stakes have never been higher. This time, her heart is on the line…

Read an excerpt 

Buy at Amazon | B&N

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~

There are TWO giveaways:

Blog Giveaway

Entangled Publishing has generously offered an ebook copy of Tempting Acquisitions to one lucky commenter!

All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment or tell us: What do you think of office romances? 

This giveaway is open to all!

(You can read our full giveaway policy here)

Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).

Giveaway ends on Saturday 16 February 2013 and we will announce the winner on Sunday.

Good luck!

Grand Prize Giveaway

To be entered to win a $100 USD Amazon gift card just fill out the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Alisha

Alisha, the bespectacled and ever nerdy California girl, simply won't leave home without a book in hand. She loves language learnin' and is working toward becoming a bonafide grammar ninja. On any given day you'll find her haunting local libraries or baking scores of cupcakes and sweet treats.

• View all posts by Alisha →
• Blog
• Twitter