Saturday 4 May 2013

Author Q & A - Ember Casey - HIS WICKED GAMES


Writing can be a pretty solitary business, which is why getting to know the online writing community is so great. I've been lucky to connect with fellow debut author Ember Casey who, like me, is releasing her steamy romance HIS WICKED GAMES in June.

Ember and I have been talking everything from worst fictional boyfriends to favourite hotties in Game of Thrones and I've been salivating over the teasers she's posted on her blog, so I'm excited to have her stop by on my blog and talk about her debut novel, her writing style and what makes a good love story.




Some men play to win...

Lily would do anything to save the Frazer Center for the Arts—even take on the infamous billionaire Calder Cunningham.

The Cunninghams have long held a reputation for being eccentric—and secretive. When Lily breaks onto their estate, she only wants to find and reason with Calder. The Cunningham family was the Frazer Center’s largest benefactor for years—until Calder took over the family funds and broke the pledge contract without warning. Now the Center is on the brink of closing, and she’s desperate to save the institution her father founded.

But Calder turns out to be more than she bargained for. He’s willing to consider her pleas—but for a price. Lily must indulge his whims, play along with his games—all while confined to his mysterious mansion—or she’ll never get the funds to save the Center. She must decide: play the mouse to his cat, or lose the organization she and her father spent their blood, sweat, and tears to build.

Hey Ember, Thanks for stopping by. So tell us about His Wicked Games. How did the idea first come to you? 

I started His Wicked Games when I was agonizing over rewrites of a YA novel. In the YA, I was struggling with the romantic relationship (or lack thereof) between the two main characters. I just couldn’t make it work. His Wicked Gamesbegan as a side project, an exercise in building sexual tension, but it just took off—before long, I’d pushed the YA novel aside to dive full force into the story of Lily and Calder. I love stories where the heroine starts off with a negative opinion of the hero (you can blame Pride and Prejudice for that), and I wanted to explore the passion of a love/hate relationship.

What drew you to writing sexy, romantic fiction? And what tips do you have on writing a hot sex scene. What makes a good romantic/ sexy novel?

Who doesn’t love a good love story? I think the key to a great romance novel is tension.  Sexual tension, of course, but also just the good old-fashioned conflict you get between two characters with fire and passion to spare.  I personally believe that the hottest sex scenes are a culmination (and explosion!) of the emotional, physical, and situational tension between two characters. They might signal an awakening, a shift of power, or something else, but they should change the dynamic of the relationship in some way or another, even if it’s only the subtlest of emotional shifts.

What books/ authors inspire you?  What/ Who are you reading at the moment? 

I read a bunch of genres—romance, of course, but I also love YA, historical fiction, and fantasy (I’m currently obsessed with the Song of Ice and Fire series). I’ve also been reading a lot of NA recently—I’m currently in the middle of Arranged by Sara Wolf, which I’m really loving—and I’m excited to see where this relatively new genre is heading.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing most of my life (cliché, I know…)  I still have copies of the stories they made us write in elementary school.  The oldest is from first grade—it’s called “The Candy Princess,” and it’s about a princess who lives in a world of candy. (Genius, right?) I started writing with the intent to publish a few years ago, but the first couple of novels I wrote were honestly pretty bad (and will never, ever see the light of day). I feel like some of us have to spit out a couple of crappy “starter” novels before we figure out who we are as a writer (or maybe that’s just me, haha).

Tell us about your writing process? 

If I’m being honest, it goes something like this: write a little, putz around on Twitter, write a little more, watch some videos on YouTube, write a little more, check email/Facebook/Reddit… You get where this is going.  As far as my long-term process is concerned, I’m a major re-writer. It usually takes me half a draft to figure out the core of the story I’m trying to write, and then I have to go back to the beginning and rework everything again. I usually put my work through several drafts before I let anyone else see it.

So what's next? Are you already working on Book 2? Will it be a sequel or a new story? 

Though His Wicked Games could stand alone, I wanted to continue Lily and Calder’s story. The next installment will be a novella, and it should be released at the end of June (so readers won’t have to wait long!). I’ll be releasing more details about it in the coming month. J

Where can readers connect with you?

They can check out my blog: http://embercasey.blogspot.com.
I’m also on Twitter www.twitter.com/embercasey
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EmberCasey

When is His Wicked Games released? 

It will be released on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords on June 11, 2013. In the meantime you can find it on Goodreads - His Wicked Games


Thanks for stopping by Ember.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this Q & A with Ember. Don't forget to add His Wicked Games to your shelf on Goodreads.

Also right now, Ember is running a giveaway over on her Blog so for a chance to win an Amazon giftcard and also e-ARCs of both His Wicked Games and my debut The Modeliser, head on over to Ember's Blog and get entering.

Next week I'll be hosting a new teaser from His Wicked Games, so do check back.

Happy Weekend!

Havana.
xox

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