Joe Who? Alcide that's Who

I rarely have a movie star in mind when I create my hero's. It ruins the fantasy in my head. And why I prefer not to have a 100% visible face on my covers - so you the reader can conjure up your own fantasy hero. But, my newest release that came out just last Wednesday with Ellora's Cave Four For The Show, was a little different.

The hero name Joe popped into my head and then along came Alcide right on behind. Perfect, I say to myself. He is one smexy dude. So I lay the tracks, without actually saying Joe Manganiello or Alcide, for the reader to picture him as my hunky hero. You'll have to read the book to see how I accomplish this.

In another story I'm working on, I picture the hero after a certain actor. One that I have adored for years. Not too well known, but I love him. Michael Biehn. You know, Kyle Reese from Terminator. Yes, him. They really do need to bring him back to the franchise in my opinion...anyway...

Blurb

 Spectator Sex. Intriguing. Risqué. The idea of watching other people have sex excites Tara to distraction. She hopes Joe is as eager as she to slip into voyeur mode so they can take another step in their sexual adventures. The last thing she expects is to evolve from watching ménages to being part of the show. Or for the two hot men who join her and Joe to not be able to keep their hands off each other.

Inside Scoop: In addition to being with three men, our lucky heroine gets a little foreplay of the female variety.

An Exotika® contemporary erotica story from Ellora’s Cave

Excerpt

I chewed my lip and read the tweet. Dare I?

I widened my eyes and read it again then sucked in a deep breath as I positioned the curser over the words. Before I could change my mind, I highlighted, right-clicked, saved and pasted it into an email for Joe.

Get hot and wet @desireafterdark Friday night w/#spectatorsex #sexclub #couples #singlewomen

My heart pounded and after just a nanosecond of hesitation I hit Send then laced my fingers together, clutching tightly, and rested my chin on them. How long would it take for a reply? Sure I had work to do, but right now I was dying to know what he’d say.

We were fairly new, a fresh couple who wasn’t really a couple. We’d met a few months ago and had jumped in the sack pretty much right away. Our chemistry was almost uncontrollable and the sex was great. No it was fucking unbelievable. We’d just clicked, both in and out of bed. But we were not a forever couple and had made it clear to each other right off the top. It wasn’t as if there were anything wrong with him. Joe was incredibly hot and knew all my buttons. He’d be a perfect forever partner, but I just wasn’t ready for that yet.

One thing we’d never discussed was going to a sex club. Hadn’t even talked fantasies or desires, or secret wants. Yet. Now was the perfect time to start. Holy shit. Well, this email would certainly separate the men from the boys.

Spectator sex. Now that was intriguing. I hadn’t really given it thought before, but a little twizzle of excitement made me catch my breath. It meant we could go without any self-imposed pressure of having to join into any groups. Sit in the back. Watch. Get hot, horny and wet. And fuck.

I sat up when a new message announced its arrival into my inbox with a ping. That was quick. It hadn’t taken Joe long to reply and if that were any indication, I knew exactly what his answer would be.

Clicking the message open, I smiled. Guess who’s going out to party tonight!

* * * * *

“Parking is a bitch here,” Joe said, without a hint of frustration. One of the things I liked about him—how he just goes with the flow. He wheeled the big truck through the cramped parking lot. I glanced around and couldn’t agree more.

“I bet I can squeeze this beast into that spot there. Hop out because the door will be up against that bush.”

I grabbed my purse and after a brief contemplation of bringing in our gym bag with our swimsuits, decided to leave it behind. We could always get it later. The chill of fall was in the air and struck me after being in the warm truck cab. The gravel parking lot was hell on my stiletto heels so I put my weight onto the toes and hurried out of Joe’s way. It was frigging cold and goose bumps rippled along my flesh. I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to keep my body heat close.

I was definitely still in summer mode. The micro-mini and slips of fabric covering my breasts could hardly be called suitable for this brisk night. But I knew the unwritten dress code here, having been once a long time ago with friends for a pole dance night. Less is more. Skimpy is in. Exposure is key. So, with my pussy and ass almost hanging out of the mini, and my boobs pushing the limits of the top, I was set to blend in with the rest of the crowd.

Joe had the truck squeezed in and prowled to my side. The intensity in his eyes, dark and sensual, was enough to fire off all my nerve endings into a surge of awareness. I needed his arms around me, for both the chill of the night but also for the heat that flared deep in my belly.

“You’re shivering,” he stated. Always the practical one.

“Suffering for the cause.”

“When the hell did you buy that getup anyway and where have you hidden it?” He squeezed me and leaned down, taking the lobe of my ear between his lips. Gawd, I loved it when he did that. Heat bloomed in my already excited libido. “You’ll be the hottest bitch in the place.”

I moaned when his lips moved down my neck. “Hardly. Wait ’til, ahh shit…um, you see how they dress in there.” My legs wobbled when his hand swept down my back and squeezed my ass in a tight grip. “Joe, stop.”

He turned me and pushed me up against the cab of the truck. I yelped when the cold metal shocked my heated flesh.

“Do you really want me to stop?”

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Thornton - a throwdown - Favorite Fictional Hero

This month we're talking favorite fictional heroes. I have lots of heroes I love, but I keep coming back to Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice and Mr. Thornton from North & South. Yes, both are British, and yes, the accent makes me swoon, but that's not why I love these heroes.

So why?

Their passion.

If you've seen these movies, you might be thinking, "Passion? These two are both stiff upper lip, not easy to know, pretty serious dudes." If you can think of men like Mr. Darcy and Mr. Thornton as dudes...

Bear with me here. If you've ever heard the phrase "still waters run deep", it perfectly describes these two. And really, their heroines, but who wants to talk about women when you can wax poetic about men? Moving on... These men don't wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Mr. Darcy is about as different from his best friend Mr. Bingley as night and day. Bingley falls in love easily and shows it. Mr. Darcy takes more persuading to really put his heart into it. In fact, it isn't until after he proposes to Elizabeth the first time that he really begins to realize this depth of feeling for her. When Elizabeth rebukes Mr. Darcy for behaving in an un-gentlemanlike manner, it cuts deep.

Likewise for Mr. Thornton. Yes, he's in love -- he thinks -- with Margaret when he proposes to her after the incident at the mill, but he really isn't. It's not until he loses everything that he finally faces what his heart knew all along but his head refused to believe - that he won't be happy without Margaret. You might be wondering why he went to Helstone rather than pursuing Margaret in London, but really, it's simple. Like Mr. Darcy, Mr. Thornton has a lot of pride. He's a failure, or so he thinks. The woman he loves is his landlord now. What can he possibly offer her?

Darcy is well aware of what he can offer Elizabeth in terms of money and property, but it isn't until he can offer her his heart without reservation that he proposes the second time.

Yes, both men are not ones to wow women with flowery speeches, but the passion is there. You can see it in their eyes. And when they do speak, it's obvious, moreso in Darcy during his first proposal than his second, and in Thornton in his proposal. Both raise their faces, both pace, both stare at their heroines. And both are devastated, not to mention humiliated, when their heroines flatly refuse their proposals.

You want an impassioned speech? Here's one, the proposal, and subsequent refusal, in North & South:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_FcSm1wUu0   (I would've embedded it but Blogger wouldn't let me)

I could link to Darcy's first proposal as well, but that one is better known, whether from the book or the BBC movie (the Keira Knightley one makes a mockery of the book IMO), so I decided not to. If you want to look it up, I'm quite sure YouTube has the proposal scene.

What am I getting at? Both men have passion. It may be lurking below the surface, but it's there. And that makes both of them drool-worthy.

To learn more about me or my books, you can check out my website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com.

Casting Come When Called

For our December theme, the Cabal is casting real life actors as the characters of our books! All in fantasy, alas.

Come When Called is a menage featuring Ford, Evie and Charley...and boy do these three heat up the pages of this book!

EVIE RADMIN: Evie is a curvy, voluptuous girl with dark blonde hair, blue eyes and full lips. Oh, and she has sex with Ford and Charley on demand.

FORD LACHANCE: Ford has dark, tousled hair, going grey at the temples, bright green eyes, and dazzling dimples. He’s athletic in a soccer player / crew-rower sort of way. Fit and muscular without being too bulky, tall, suave, sophisticated, confident, and very rich. He wears fine, custom suits. He is a dominant and enjoys commanding Evie sexually. He’s very demanding, is always in control, and always gets what he wants, but he’s a loner, and so is very alone in the world.

CHARLEY BAKER:  Charley is the exact opposite of Ford, and is Ford’s best friend. Charley has shaggy brown hair and sexy stubble. He speaks in a Southern drawl. Charley is a very large and muscular biker, who wears tight, worn jeans, black biker boots, and a grey fitted tee-shirt that shows off his big chest. He is fun, boisterous, and outwardly loving and affectionate. And he’s in love with Ford, from afar. But that "afar" doesn't last once Evie comes along and is determined to get the two together. He and Ford share Evie, and Evie becomes the conduit that helps Charley and Ford have a...deeper...relationship. 

CASTING:

For Evie, I'd pick Scarlett Johanson. Evie is a badass in her own way, and has had a bit of a rough life. But she's also soft and vulnerable, and capable of a deep and accepting love. I think ScarJo could pull off the dichotomy of Evie's character brilliantly. 

For Ford...I just can't. Ford's most defining feature--other than his nearly supernatural gorgeousness--is his dimples. I looked for dimpled actors, but none that I can find are quite right. Probably anyone considered right for Christian Grey would work for Ford too, except that Ford is older than Christian by a few years. And, by the way, Ford was written long before I ever met Christian. :) 

For Charley, this one's easier...Jenson Ackles (Dean from Supernatural), but with one change. (hey, this is fantasy!) Dean/Jenson's got the right amazing looks, fun, breezy attitude--nearly a big puppy dog--for Charley Baker, but I'd need a much larger, bulkier version of Jenson. Don't get me wrong, Jenson's built juuuusssttt fiiiiiinnnnee, but Charley is physically a really large guy. 

So there you go! My fantasy cast for Come When Called. If you have any suggestions for my brooding, dominant, dimpled Ford, PLEASE leave me comments!! I want to know. 

<3 Piper

When the Cover Gods get it Right

And I mean REALLY right. Especially since we're talking about casting characters, I pictured Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky from How I Met Your Mother) as my heroine in my February 2014 release from Harlequin Medicals MELTING THE ICE QUEEN'S HEART.

Dr. Virginia Potter was the beautiful brunette from HIMYM.

Except for the whole Canadian thing and the hatred of children. ;)

I was worried about the cover. It's just me.

And then I got sent this:

Perfecto.

This is Dr. Virginia Potter Chief of Surgery, the Ice Queen, as she's known by the rest of the medical professionals in her hospital.

I was swooning over this cover. I love it.

And I LOVE when the cover Gods really, really get it right. I do know my Pinterest boards do help them too! ;)

If you're interested in the rest of the cast you can see it here.

And you can find out more about the book here

It started with a kiss… 

Having left his humanitarian posting in Africa to raise his two orphaned nieces in San Francisco, Dr. Gavin Brice has enough on his plate without an inconvenient attraction to his new boss! The frosty Dr. Virginia Potter clearly disapproves of his maverick ways - but with one amazing kiss, the ice begins to thaw….

You can find out more about Amy at her website or follow her on Twitter.

Looking for Mr. Right

This subject, who we would cast as the hero in the movie version of one of our books, is like the best. idea. evah...

Whoever came up with it... *smooch*

I mean, come on, who wouldn't love the research involved in writing a blog post like this? When else can I enter search terms like, "Benjamin Bratt nekked" or, "Did Esai Morales ever do porn?" and not feel even slightly guilty? These are serious actors, but if one of them was going to play Xbal Montegro in the movie version of Jaguar in the Sun, book four in the Unveiled Seductions series, I'd need to know if they have... well... the goods to do the part justice. Xbal is the kind of man who'll take you up against a door or on his jaguar god altar if the urge strikes, so yeah, I'd have to break out the casting couch.

As I said before, *smooches* to whoever gave me this line of thought. 

But, on a slightly more serious note, I'm pretty sure Benjamin Bratt would fit the bill really well. Here's the description of Xbal, as the heroine Cassandra watches him approach:

Xbal Montegro wasn’t exceptionally tall in the world of the fey, being just an inch or so taller than Cassie’s five-foot-eight-plus-heels, but the way he carried himself made that unimportant. And although he wasn’t handsome in the way so many of the male inhabitants of the faie side of the Veil were, she found him more beautiful than any other man she knew. The broad forehead, high cheekbones and slightly hooked nose were balanced by a firm, determined jaw and sensual mouth, which had a deeply bowed upper lip and almost too-full lower. It was the kind of mouth that on a lesser man would look effeminate. On Xbal it simply looked delicious and gave his harsh, copper-hued visage warmth. Warmth that was now echoed in his eyes as he came to greet her.

See? The mouth might be a little off, but the rest is spot-on. I'd post a picture of him here, but somehow I don't think he'd appreciate it--not with the 'nekked' and 'porn' references above. Not until they're ready to cast the movie... then he'll thank me.

Hopefully on that casting couch...

Just kidding!

Sort of...

Anya aka Bootie Hotness

Book four in the Unveiled Seductions series.

Cassandra Solinar has a bucket list and jaguar god Xbal Montegro is on it. About to undergo an essential rite she won’t survive, she wants to wring every ounce of pleasure out of the time left. Including discovering if Xbal’s sex magic technique is as good as rumored.

It’s no hardship for Xbal to accept Cassandra’s invitation for one erotic encounter, but far more difficult to let her go once he gets a taste of the explosive passion between them. Now he’s determined to hold on to her, no matter what.

Cassie can’t tell Xbal the truth about what she’s about to do. It’s illegal, but without her death the entire world will perish. It’s a job she’s been preparing for from birth, but the loss will be greater now. For in Xbal she finds a soul-deep connection she doesn’t want to lose, and the one thing she made a point of not putting on her bucket list—love.

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

A cast of characters for my books?

The December theme here on the Cabal of Hotness blog is casting the characters of our books using real-life actors. But here's the thing: I purposely don't "cast" my characters. Maybe I'm weird, but I feel like assigning them to an actor limits me. I know what they look like, and I tell my readers enough so they know too, but also so they can form their own picture.

If I said my hero looked like Gerard Butler, as a reader I would think you'd attribute certain personality traits to that hero based on what you've seen Gerard Butler do in the past, whether as himself or one of the characters he's played.

Am I nuts in thinking that?

Maybe. But in the spirit of the theme, let's imagine who could play Rob from Underneath It All. Here's the skinny on Rob:

- professional hockey player
- 5'9", 210 pounds (aka stocky)
- olive skin tone
- dark brown hair
- brown eyes
- Italian descent

I found a guy for Rob's cover. This is him:

What do you think? How did I do?

The reason I liked this "Rob" was the facial expression. Rob, though a sweetheart, has a bit of "I'm hot and I know it" to him, and the eyes, the little smirk etc on this guy capture that perfectly. I can't think of an actor who would give me the same impression.

My heroines are even harder. I know what they look like, but I tend to describe my heroes more than my heroines. I guess the way I look at it, is -- most of my readers are female. They want to hear about the man, not the woman who's going to steal their book boyfriend away from them, as all heroines do.

Do you prefer, as a reader, to draw your own conclusions or do you enjoy having the author compare him to a real-life person when describing him in the book? I'm curious to hear your answers!

-- Cassandra

http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com 

The Perfect Proposition?

On The Second Day of Pre-Release...the author gave to me...The Perfect Proposition! Maybe...

How would you approach a man you find exceedingly attractive, intelligent and downright sexy, especially if your sole purpose was to get him into bed? Would you take the stealth approach, making your way with studied nonchalance around the room until you’re within range, strike up innocuous conversation and then reel him in with your wit, charm and the come-hither look in your eyes? Or would you hit the dance floor and put on a show, telling him with sultry glances it’s all for him?

The heroine in my upcoming release, Jaguar in the Sun, book four in the Unveiled Seductions series, available December 4, 2013, doesn’t have time for all that. She’s on a strict timetable, and knows it’s now or never if she wants to get a taste of Xbal Montegro, not to mention experience his atraspa, a special type of sex magic that takes centuries to master.

Cassie’s very clear-sighted about the whole thing:

Since she’d been distracted when she left the temple, she’d forgotten to throw up a shield and the drizzle had turned her previously sleek hair into a mass of waves but she didn’t care. It wasn’t a big deal, just a small detail and one she didn’t think would really matter. In her experience a man didn’t care that much about how a woman’s hair looked when she was propositioning him.

And she’s decided on the direct approach… very direct. At his office, this is the beginning of her proposition:

Cassie folded her hands on her lap and crossed her legs, not bothering to adjust the edges of her skirt when they fell open to mid-thigh. Xbal’s gaze remained on her face. A little disappointing but not surprising. This was a man who didn’t ogle or stare, was as cool as the proverbial cucumber.

“Another of your brainwaves for a concert at the Midnight Café, needing to be put together at a moment’s notice?”

Amusement added another layer of richness to his voice and Cassie shifted, glancing down at her hands in case the heat of rising desire showed in her eyes.

“You could say that, I guess, although I will tell you I’ve put a great deal of thought into this idea.” She couldn’t help the answering laughter in her tone, knowing what she was about to say. Looking at him through half-lowered lids, wanting to see his reaction, she said, “I actually came by to see if you’d be interested in having sex with me today.”

Wow. Not sure I’d be able to be so bold, but there’s a really good reason why she doesn’t have time to shilly-shally. And I guess you’re wondering how she follows that up, and whether Xbal takes her up on the offer or not. Let’s just say his reaction isn’t quite what she’s expecting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

What would your perfect proposition be? I’d love to hear, so tell me in the comments!

Tomorrow I’ll be at the Darker Temptations blog, giving you a little peek more of Jaguar in the Sun, including the official excerpt, which will give you an idea of Xbal’s reaction to Cassie’s proposition and where it leads. And for the next ten days I’ll be here, there and everywhere on my Twelve Days of Pre-Release. Watch out for me, and say hi!

Anya Richards

Journeys Through Seduction

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Jaguar In The Sun Blurb:

Jaguar in the Sun

Anya Richards

Book four in the Unveiled Seductions series.

Cassandra Solinar has a bucket list and jaguar god Xbal Montegro is on it. About to undergo an essential rite she won’t survive, she wants to wring every ounce of pleasure out of the time left. Including discovering if Xbal’s sex magic technique is as good as rumored.

It’s no hardship for Xbal to accept Cassandra’s invitation for one erotic encounter, but far more difficult to let her go once he gets a taste of the explosive passion between them. Now he’s determined to hold on to her, no matter what.

Cassie can’t tell Xbal the truth about what she’s about to do. It’s illegal, but without her death the entire world will perish. It’s a job she’s been preparing for from birth, but the loss will be greater now. For in Xbal she finds a soul-deep connection she doesn’t want to lose, and the one thing she made a point of not putting on her bucket list—love.

A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave