Okay, so there is no musical, but there is a new book in the series. Almost.
Stirred Up, which I talked about in an earlier post, will be released on July 27th, and I'm really excited about it. There are a few things that make it a little different from Tempt Me and Set Loose. For one, it's a full-length novel, which meant I got to really dig into the hero and heroine and see what made them tick, and I got to develop their relationship over a period of time.
Secondly, I would characterize it as a steamy contemporary romance (as opposed to erotica). The characters and their situation all demanded that the hot action did not take place immediately, even though the attraction is there right off the bat. Personally, I like excruciating sexual tension that builds until you're dying for the characters to get it on. And trust me, once they do get it on, there is plenty of action.
You'll also see some faces from Set Loose (Cutter, Emily, and Lisa) and meet new characters who will be featured in the third book in the series.
So that's my big news. My other news is that I just read Eleanor & Park and so should everyone else on planet Earth. It's a beautiful, amazing, intense YA romance and it blew my mind.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
To Tempt, or Not to Tempt. That is the question.
Ever since I released Tempt Me in January, 2012, people have asked, either in emails to me or in reviews, whether there will be a sequel. The answer is: maybe. The thing is, I didn't plan to write more about Ian and Nina. If I had, I would have written it pretty quickly after I published the first part. Actually, I would have just put it out as a longer book, since I don't love it when authors release multiple novellas instead of one novel.
I didn't plan on writing Tempt Me at all. I had just finished my historical romance novel, No Other Love, and had been working on another historical. This one took place a couple years after the Civil War and featured a spinster who heads to Nevada as a mail order bride. I had been working on it for a couple of months and was miserable. I'd completely psyched myself out and couldn't imagine ever finishing it, and writing was no longer fun. I was expressing my despair to my friend Abby one day, and she suggested I take a break and write a novella, something that would be fun to write and that didn't have to conform to any particular market or audience.
So I did, and it was fun. First of all, it was so much easier and quicker to write a contemporary romance because I wasn't slowed down by research. Secondly, writing something short took away any doubt that I'd be able to finish it.
Some readers like the story enough that they want more of it, and some seem to feel let down or even cheated that it's so short. Some are happy with it just as it is. It never occurred to me that anyone would feel let down, because I felt like it ended where it should, after they'd worked through the main stumbling blocks to being together and declared their love. I love romances because I get to experience all the uncertainties and thrills of early love and lust, so that is what I tried to deliver. When we leave them at the end, they are on their way a having a happily ever after.
That said, I get why people want more. One of the joys of reading a romance is sinking into a book and living with those characters. I love Ian and Nina and could definitely find more to say about them. My fear is that if I did, it wouldn't be as satisfying as what I wrote in the first part. I would only be doing it to make readers happy, which is a great reason, but if I'm not feeling it I'll let people down anyway.
So I'm going to hold off, but if the spirit moves me I'll write it, and you'll all be the first to know.
I didn't plan on writing Tempt Me at all. I had just finished my historical romance novel, No Other Love, and had been working on another historical. This one took place a couple years after the Civil War and featured a spinster who heads to Nevada as a mail order bride. I had been working on it for a couple of months and was miserable. I'd completely psyched myself out and couldn't imagine ever finishing it, and writing was no longer fun. I was expressing my despair to my friend Abby one day, and she suggested I take a break and write a novella, something that would be fun to write and that didn't have to conform to any particular market or audience.
So I did, and it was fun. First of all, it was so much easier and quicker to write a contemporary romance because I wasn't slowed down by research. Secondly, writing something short took away any doubt that I'd be able to finish it.
Some readers like the story enough that they want more of it, and some seem to feel let down or even cheated that it's so short. Some are happy with it just as it is. It never occurred to me that anyone would feel let down, because I felt like it ended where it should, after they'd worked through the main stumbling blocks to being together and declared their love. I love romances because I get to experience all the uncertainties and thrills of early love and lust, so that is what I tried to deliver. When we leave them at the end, they are on their way a having a happily ever after.
That said, I get why people want more. One of the joys of reading a romance is sinking into a book and living with those characters. I love Ian and Nina and could definitely find more to say about them. My fear is that if I did, it wouldn't be as satisfying as what I wrote in the first part. I would only be doing it to make readers happy, which is a great reason, but if I'm not feeling it I'll let people down anyway.
So I'm going to hold off, but if the spirit moves me I'll write it, and you'll all be the first to know.
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