Sunday, February 1, 2015

When It's Cold Out, Read a Sizzling Romance...by Sydney St. Claire

Caution: Content is "R" Rated.

Sydney's latest red-hot romance from The Wild Rose Press is SNOW & HER HUNTSMAN from the Once Upon a Dream series.

Sydney St. Claire is the pseudonym of Susan Edwards, author of 14 Historical Native American/Western/Paranormal romances and the author of the popular “White” Series.

Sydney loves writing and sharing stories of love, happiness and dreams come true with her readers. She credits her mother for her writing success.  Encouraged to read as a child, she always preferred happy endings which meant romances were her favorite genre.  Sydney takes her readers into the world of erotica romance where her characters come together in explosive passion as they solve life’s problems and find true love along with the best sex our hero and heroine have ever experienced.
Sydney’s office is quite crowded with three dogs at her feet and five cats to keep her company while she writes. Three cats always insist on beds on her desk, barely leaving enough room for her monitor and keyboard. Life gets fun when all five insist on supervising…
When not writing, she enjoys crafts of all sorts including quilting, sewing, cross-stitch and knitting. She and her husband of 30 + years are avid gardeners. He takes care of the veggies, and Susan is in charge of the ‘pretties’. Her medicine wheel garden is in a contact state of war: flowers vs. weeds. Sadly, right now the weeds are wining…
While writing, she listens to a wide variety of music. Her current favorites are Blackmore’s Night and David Lanz.
About SNOW & HER HUNTSMAN:

Rylee Kincaid’s business is about to go under. Lucky for her, she’s found an investor. Ready to sign papers, she learns her knight in shining armor is Hunter Finnegan, the man who once gave her multiple orgasms that crushed her young, tender heart. Her world comes crashing down as it becomes clear the rich businessman intends a hostile takeover and to cast her out. Then he agrees to discuss a new deal, but only if Rylee will play Snow to his Huntsman at a BDSM fairy tale event.

Hunter has never forgotten the weekend of kinky sex he shared with Rylee in college. Unfortunately, he had to let her go to keep peace in his family. Now he’s back to claim the only woman he’s ever loved. He’ll stop at nothing to make the black-haired, fair-skinned beauty hear the truth of what happened so long ago, even if he has to tie her up. And that’s exactly what he does. But as the Huntsman reawakens the submissive in Snow, Hunter isn’t so sure he can do the same to Rylee’s heart.
 
 

See the trailer

Excerpt  (PG13)
Rylee couldn’t believe what she’d done. She’d totally lost control, something she’d never done with another man but Hunter. Sex between her and her husband had never come close to the heat level between her and Hunter. Her hands dropped from his shoulders to his chest. Palms flat, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to push him away or bunch her fingers in his shirt and draw him even closer. God, what must he think of her? One kiss, and she’d gone up in flames, like a desperate and hungry woman.
Which was true. But to show it and behave in such a manner horrified her. “I…” She didn’t know what to say.
Hunter stepped away, she assumed to give her time to adjust her clothing. He picked up the invitation from the gray carpet. “My limo will pick you up at two on Thursday.”
“Thursday?” Damn, her mind and body felt as though she were swimming through a thick gel.
Handing her the invite, along with a large envelope he snagged off his desk, he held her gaze. “I’ll see you at Pleasure Manor. Your costumes will be delivered to your office this afternoon.”
He tapped the envelope. “Instructions and rules. I suggest you go get your bloodwork done this afternoon. You’ll need to bring the results with you.” Hunter handed her the briefcase and her purse and hustled her to the door.
Rylee blinked in confusion. Damn the man for being in complete control while she was a quivering mass of need. Her orgasm hadn’t eased her ache for this man. But she hated being manipulated, and he was a master. He’d lured her in with hopes and dreams of saving her business and probably used Glorie to make her mad enough that she’d confront him. Now, he’d had the nerve to use her own body against her. “Dammit, Hunter, I never said—”
Hunter halted her with the single lift of his brow. “Your body spoke for you.” He lowered his head and kissed her hard, swallowing her protests. “Thursday. And don’t bother wearing panties.”

Purchase SNOW & HER HUNTSMAN:

Wild Rose    KINDLE           Nook         KOBO             IBOOKS
About Sydney:

If you have 2 free hours tonight, what would you do? Why?
As it happens, I have a craft group that I host every Friday so tonight is fun night. I’ll be knitting a cowl/hat for a friend’s birthday and finishing up a crochet hook holder for another friend.  If it wasn’t craft night, I might be working on a cross stitch birth sampler for my granddaughter who is due any day now. She’ll beat me but I’m getting close to being done!  Then there is Panda Pop or Magic Puzzles on my IPad or continue my read of JD Robb’s Death books. I’m on #27 or 27 right now.
 
What kind of books do you love to read? Why?
I love to read series. If a character or world draws me in, I don’t want to say goodbye so quickly so a series will draw me in. One of my favorite outside of romance is LE Modesitt's Imager Series. I also love the Harry Potters, many, many of Nora Roberts and Christine Feehan’s series.
 
What type of music do you enjoy relaxing to?
Mostly new age and celtic. Favs right now are Blackmore’s Night and David Lanz piano pieces. I also get on Neil Diamond kicks and just run through his music. Some others of my eclectic range include Walela, Joanna Shenendoah, Jaya Lakshmi, Enya, Gregorian Chants and lots of Native American artists like Steven & Gordon and Andrew Vazquez.
 
What is your stress buster?
My animals. Although at times they add to the stress!  I have 6 cats and 3 dogs. I also use crafts and reading or playing games on the i-pad. And nothing beats watching marathons: Midsomer Mysteries, Pride & Prejudice, or Castle and Blue Bloods with my mom who lives with me.
 
What is your favorite food? What food do you seek when you're sad, sort of a comfort food?
Popcorn or chips for snacks to nibble while reading. Pasta of any kind, grilled cheese sandwhiches and tomato soup.  Beef Jerky is good too.
 
Describe yourself in one word.
Compassionate.
 
If a fairy grants you one wish and one wish only, what would it be? Why?
Health, for me, my family and my friends, because that is what is important to me.

What’s your biggest regret in life?
I’m not sure I have any real regrets. There are things I’ve done that I wish I hadn’t but the past is also what has made me who I am today. Sometimes I wish I’d gone to college, and still wish maybe I could get a degree in Health & Wellness but at my age, the cost is not worth it and if I got a job at this point, I couldn’t write. Sometimes I wish I had more children (then I’d have a bunch of grandchildren by now.) 

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
I always considered it brave of me to go off to RWA conferences alone. I always wanted to run back to my hubby and make him go with me as I was not much of a traveler or flierl

What makes you happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry? (Pick one)
Friends and family make me happy but at times, they also make me sad/disappointed/frustrated and angry!

What are your wildest dreams/fantasies/kinks/quirks?
I’ll go with dreams. Go on a cruise, Alaska to see Northern Lights and bald eagles and Hawaii.  As much as I love writing historical romances and Native American, I’m not sure I want to give up my comfort for those worlds.

Your Writing

When did you write your first book? How long did it take you to write it?
I started in the early 80’s. Took me four years to finish my first book, four to edit and perfect, and other to sell, and one more to see it in print. Nine years total.

Did you encounter any obstacles in writing? What are they? How did you overcome them?
I wrote with a young family so I often had to put it away. I wrote for several months, then off for several months. Now, my animals are my distraction as they insist on surrounding me. I have 3 cats on my desk as I type this and 2 dogs at my feet.

How did you feel when you receive your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance, event, etc to commemorate the occasion?
I was shocked and thrilled. Don’t remember that we did anything special. My husband made my cover into a desktop image as a surprise (think back to early computers in 1995 and it wasn’t as easy as now)

Any writing peeves, things you wish you could improve on, things you do with exceptional talent?
I think I am good at writing a series, and I’m great with characters, especially villains. Love to write bad guys. I’m terrible about grammar. My pet peeve is my laptop which gives me fits and it’s not that old….

What kind of books do you love/hate to write? Why?
I love what I’m writing now, Erotica & Historical and want to do more contemporaries. As I write what I like, there isn’t anything I hate.  As I currently have 3 series going, I’d say I love to write series.

What do you think about editing?
Hate it!  I like to create. Rewriting is okay as I’m layering and improving what I’ve written but I am not good at editing.

Where and when do you write? Tell us about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?
I write in my office which is the family room and even have a fireplace if burning is allowed that day. I’ve taken over the entire room. I love my desk furniture. White executive desk with corner unit behind me and several additional pieces with hutches around that corner unit. The desk is big enough for my keyboard and 3-4 cats, though sometimes, my keyboard is pushed too close to the edge. Sometimes I think I’m too soft hearted as I could use that room for me! I have no door so am rather stuck!
In the evenings I take my computer into my mom’s room and do marketing or writing if needed while watching TV.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? How do you go on from there? Maybe you can give us an example with one of your books.
Because I tend to write series, I always have the characters first and usually even know their conflicts. My first White series book, I had my original H/H. For the second book, I decided to do their children. It was fun saying “hey, you guys now have 4 kids”. When I wrote White Wolf, it was easy to flesh out his siblings so when it came time for the next book, I had a character all ready to go with conflicts and even obstacles.
The Once Upon a Dom series started with one couple but as they are in a party/event setting, it’s fun to pull in another character so when I move on, I already have a foundation. The last book, Snow & Her Huntsman, the characters were new but not the setting. Same for the book I’m doing now (Beauty Submits to her Dom)

What books can you recommend to aspiring writers to improve on style, character development, plot, structure, dialogue, etc?
First, I’d say just writing. Read what you  want to write to get a feel, and write. Join a critique group and RWA as you’ll learn a ton. It’s been so long, and things have changed so much, I’m not sure anymore. I learned a lot from “How to write a romance & get it published” as it was the only book on that subject way back then. The Writers Digest Book Club books are great as is the internet and online classes.

What is your must-have book for writing?
I love the First Draft in 30 Days and Book in a Month workbook.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?
Write what you know, want to know, and love. Keep at it. Keep learning. Be patient and be willing to put in your time. Writing is like any other career, there is a learning curve and there are no shortcuts. Be passionate, be stubborn, be determined and be willing to learn, change and do whatever it takes (baring harming others) to make your dream come true.
 
Your Books
 
What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write in both Erotica as Sydney St. Claire and Historical Romances as Susan Edwards. I always loved reading Native American and Western romances so it was natural for me to follow that path. I start the erotica’s after doing some work for hire purely for money and found I was good at those. I have a historical/paranormal/Native American series I love as they are just fun to write.

Among those that you’ve written, which is your favorite book and why?
White Wolf, as Susan Edwards was a lot of fun as Jessie is a lot like I was at that age. As Sydney, I think my favorite is Lucy in Red & Her Big Bad Dom as she is spunky, like Jessie in White Wolf.

Where do you get your ideas? Do you jot them down in a notebook, in case you forgot?
Most of my ideas come from the characters and their personality and conflicts. I do write down ideas but seldom go to that file for ideas. They just come.

Have you ever wanted to write your book in one direction but your characters are moving it in another direction? What did you do in such a situation?
Yes, this happens in most of my books. I just give in and let the story write itself.

Any new projects, work in progress?
I’ve got 3 more Once Upon a Dom books to write this year and I’m hoping to write book 3 in my SpiritWalker series, Winter’s Heart as well. I also have a contemporary series I want to get going on.

Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of editing.  How about you? 
I have to edit as I go. I liken writing to taffy pulling. If I go to far ahead with things not right, I start to sag and weaken. I then have to go back, edit and shore the book up then I can go for a while until again having to go back.
 
How much research was involved in writing your book?  How did you go about it? 
All my books have involved a lot of research. In the early ears of my Native Americans, I relied on libraries and used books. Now there is the internet. For the erotica, the internet. Boy, you can find out a lot there!  Maybe more than you’d ever want to know….
 
What else have you written already? 
I’ve written 3 books as Sydney St. Claire (Once Upon a Dom series), and 14 as Susan Edwards (12 White series, 2 SpiritWalker series).

Contact Sydney:


Websites:  http://sydneystclaire.com

                  http://susanedwards.com






 
 
CELEBRATING THE RELEASE OF SNOW WITH A NEW CONTEST
Tote Bag  --  Fairytales Your Mother Never Read You
Nice large roomy bag
Also included: 4 GB Flash Drive, Key Ring Light, Notepad & Pen, Mug
And assorted other goodies

1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Diana for having me today. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow

    ReplyDelete

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