In Hot Water With Laura Breck and Jack Sparrow
[splashing sounds and the distinctive sound of a cork popping, then a fizzing-pour sound]
Jack: Champagne, my pet? We're celebrating your book release, are we not?
Laura: Yes--ooh, yes, heavy on the champagne, thank you--but I thought you just drank rum.
Jack: I am an onion. I have many layers.
Laura: I suspected as much, though I have to say this is the first book interview I've done from the confines of a bathtub. [zoom out to see the rascally Captain Jack Sparrow and the bubbly Laura Breck, author of Secret Vegas Lives in a large bathtub, bubbles nearly overflowing the tub and an alarming amount of candles lit on nearby tables] Do you do this often?
Jack: Bathe? Every three weeks whether I need it or not. I admit though this is the first time I've done this. Hellie calls this sort of thing multi-tasking. Only she does it for boring things like laundry and baking bread. I like to be more creative. [picks up a bon-bon and takes a bite out of it, makes face and puts the bitten bon-bon back] Bon-bon?
Laura: Ahem, no thanks. Well, I have to admit when you suggested a spa day, I jumped on you, I mean it...ahem. [takes bracing sip of champagne] Perhaps we should get to the interview?
Jack: Hmm? Oh, yes, I suppose so. Though I am finding the fact the bubbles are disappearing to be a lovely distraction. [Laura sinks slightly lower in the tub; Jack pouts] Ms. Breck, your new book, Secret Vegas Lives, would you care to tell us more about it?
Laura: I would love to! [popping up in the tub again in her excitement] Antonio Daniato is a best-selling novelist, but he has a secret addiction to a decadent night life. When he receives a letter demanding money in exchange for keeping his secret out of the tabloids, he sets a trap to catch the blackmailer, and is surprised when beautiful socialite Valerie Kane falls into his arms.
Valerie swears she's not the blackmailer, but Antonio threatens to expose her, publicly and humiliatingly, if she sends another note to him. What she can't tell him is that she was at the blackmail drop site as a stand-in for her cousin, a famous actress, who is also being blackmailed.
A week later, at a gala at Caesar's Palace, Valerie sees Antonio walking toward her across the crowded room, and he's holding...another blackmail note!
Jack: Blackmailing? Now that sounds downright piratey! I think I might have some things in common with this hero. I too enjoy the decadent lifestyle. The girls would want to know what the hero is like, but I'm far more curious about the heroine. I have always had a fascination for a girl willing to risk her reputation.
Laura: Mmmm, Valerie will risk everything for Antonio: her reputation, her family's approval, and even her career. Sweet Valerie has always been a nice girl, boarding schools, a Doctorate in Psychology, volunteer committees and social fundraisers. But when she meets Antonio, something changes, and she's filled with a need to shake loose from her parents' control, and a desire to tame this bad boy.
Antonio is gorgeous - of course, not as handsome as you, Jack. [Laura winks at him; Jack wags his brows at her.] Antonio is tall and muscular, a slight Italian accent, but he has a flashpoint anger that he uses to keep people away, to keep Valerie from finding out about his secret life. While outrageous sexual attraction draws Valerie and Antonio together, suspicion, anger, and hurt keep them emotionally distant.
Jack: The good girl gone bad. My favorite kind. This all sounds delightedly spicy. This is delightedly spicy, is it not? Hellie has been reading bonnet rippers lately and there isn't so much as a wild bit of handholding. A man needs a little something more, if you know what I mean.
Laura: Well, Jack, sometimes a lady needs something more, too. And Valerie has found herself addicted to Antonio's hot, demanding loving. But she wants to help him overcome whatever he's hiding from her. Here's a scene where Sweet Valerie turns into a naughty wench [Laura opens her waterproof laptop and reads]:
Valerie wanted him to open up to her, and this seemed like the opening she needed. "Please tell me, Antonio. What is it you came here to tell me?"
He stared at her for a long while then said, "I think I should leave."
His tone said, "leave you," and she felt a moment of panic. She shook her head. "No. I want you to stay..."
"Provided..."
"No provisions. If you're not ready to tell me, that's fine." She put her hand on his. "When you walked in here today, you were going to tell me, weren't you?"
"I don't know. Maybe there's nothing to tell." He looked defeated.
The moment was lost. She wouldn't hear his secret tonight. Damn, he was the most frustrating man... She clenched her jaw. "Bullshit." She couldn't think of anything else to break the tension.
His eyebrow shot up. "What?"
"You heard me. I said bullshit." She made a fist and punched him in the chest.
"Ou. What the hell are you doing?" He rubbed his chest. He seemed more startled than angry.
"I'm going to beat the crap out of you until you tell me." She fought to keep from smiling.
"Really? My pretty-boy face?"
"No. But the rest of you is fair game." She made a fist with her middle knuckle sticking out, the way her brother did when they were kids. She hit him in the thigh. Hard. The aggression felt kind of good.
"Ouch, jeez, Valerie. You're not supposed to resort to violence to get people to do what you want."
"Because why?" She kicked him in the shin with her bare foot, probably hurting herself more than she hurt him.
He laughed. "Stop. Have you lost your mind?"
"Oh, right. Because I'm a professional therapist, I can't let out my frustrations."
He held his hand up, forestalling her next hit. "Yeah, damn it. Aren't you supposed to hit pillows or something?"
She grabbed one of the accent pillows and threw it at him. When he caught it above his head in both hands, she gut-punched him, loving the sound of his breath leaving his lungs.
He choked, "That's it, woman. Your ass is mine!" His eyes threatened, but he had a smile on his face.
"Not if I can help it," she whispered, baring her teeth and showing her claws.
"Hellcat." He grabbed her wrists as she lunged at him.
"Bastard."
He picked her up and, in seconds, plopped her down on the thick rug in front of the fireplace. His hands held her arms. "Baby, I like this. You're bad today."
She liked it a lot, too, but she wasn't ready to let him know just how much. "See if you like this, baby." She jerked one of her knees up, coming close to his package. He twisted to the side just in time.
"Shit, now you're getting personal." He let go of her arms and rolled onto the floor, but she followed.
She landed on him and sat on his chest, knocking the wind out of him again. "You cry mercy, and I'll stop. Otherwise, you're in for a lot more."
He smiled the silliest grin she ever saw on his gorgeous face. "No way in hell I'm going to cry mercy. Hit me with your best shot."
She recalled an evil smile from a horror film and recreated it on her face. "Do you like this T-shirt?" she asked, touching the Harley logo.
"Yeah, I got this in Germany --"
She grabbed the neckline with both hands and, mastering superhuman strength, ripped it halfway down the front. "Oh, sorry. You said you did like it?"
"Whoa, baby!" His face showed total amazement.
She ripped the shirt the rest of the way down. "Now you can use it to wax your bike."
"Seriously, you're like sexbitch all the sudden." He laughed slowly.
"Get used to it. I'm going to be like this all night."
"Yes. Thank you, God."
Jack: Do you think you could read a little more? No? [pouts, holds out candy dish] Still no bon-bon? [Laura reluctantly takes a bon bon, her nose crinkling slightly] Hellie ripped a shirt of mine like that once. Good times. I don't want you to think I'm an uncultured man--though I'm really happy about the hot sex scenes--so my next question is: which comes first character or plot?
Laura: For me, it's definitely plot. I see a situation, or dream about a scene, and start outlining. Then I write the characters to complement the plot, and create a world. I know world building is a term most used in paranormal fiction, but I use it in my contemporary romances to set the tone of the book.
Jack: The action first! You’re definitely my kind of author! I know Hellie would love this book. I'm going to download it on her computer. This book is available right now in e-format, yes? Do you like e-publishing? How can we get your books?
Laura: [excitedly doing a bathtub dance] Secret Vegas Lives was released yesterday, October 22, from Red Rose Publishing. E-publishing is great! Red Rose is an international publisher, and my book will be read all over the world! Here's a handy link to my book: http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=499. And while you're there, you can check out the second book in the series, Scandalous L.A. Desires, which stars Antonio's brother, Dante.
Jack: Perfect. This crew loves brothers. They’re notoriously scandalous—it’s why I love them so. All right, last question, and then we can go back to the favorite pastime of find the washrag. What's your call story?
Laura: Oh, it's the standard tale. For two years I sent my manuscripts to agents and traditional publishing house editors. Then, on New Year's Day, I decided to try e-publishing. I e-mailed my book to Red Rose, and within a week I received a return e-mail offering to contract my book - and the contract was attached! It was an unforgettable day, and I'm forever grateful to acquiring editor Lea Schizas for her exceptionally kind words, and for buying two of my books.
Jack: We love call stories. They're rather this ship's version of Platinum Weddings. No detail is too small; and they all have happy endings. Actually it also sounds like a night with me, isn’t that fascinating? Thank you for being our guest today on the RWR. Did you have any questions for me or the crew?
Laura: Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me aboard, and for letting me soak a while with the famous Captain Sparrow! It's been a thrill, and an honor. And while my pruney fingers search for the...ahem...washcloth, I would love to give away a goodie bag of my promotional items to one lucky crewmember. Since my book is about secrets, and there are at least a hundred legalized sins in Las Vegas, here's my question: What would your secret be, if you were to lead a Secret Vegas Life? I'll anxiously await your responses!
Books by the Crew
58 comments:
A secret Vegas life... I be the secret guest a' the main speaker at the BDSM convention. Masked, ta protect me identify as I be used ta show off how wonderful me dominant is.
Shhhhh! It be a secret...
Now, Jack served ya the bubbly... I man the rest a' the bar, what else might ya like ta try? They all begins wit' rum, but there be many variations on the theme...
Sorry, I figured a better secret. A real scandalous secret that, if revealed, would truly destroy any hopes a' findin' a publisher in romance.
And it's a true Vegas secret... Under the pen name a' Mary B. Bad, I have won several AVN awards as a scriptwriter for over six tremendously successful adult films.
(The AVN being the adult industry's version a' the Oscars. The AVN awards are held every January, in Las Vegas!)
Yeah, I like this one better!
Hi Laura.
Welcome to the interview tub!
After careful scientific research we discovered a 'foam stabilising' additive and also determined the maximum temperature before the champagne loses the bubbles. I think Jack may have a pat pending on that. *grin*
Our bartender coyly concealed her most devilish secret.I suspect that she bottles the champagne from the tub after the guest author has left and sells it as a magical potion which cures writer's block.
I was pleased to see that you have eschewed conventional paper for the modern electronic formats. Even better, it looks as though the books are not encrypted and can be read on any device using 'text to speech' if desired. Thats Perfection for me.
I applaud the confidence in reader's honesty. Donating some profit to charity is also a big plus in my book. I'm definitely going to sample some of those naughty Vegas secrets now!
As for my own legalised sins, my mind is boggling at the possibilities. I think I had better read your book before deciding!
Fabulous interview!
Hello! I'm just coming around after all the bubbly and bubbles, and It's great to see 2nd Chance and Quantum are already busy, using your imaginations to conjure up something wicked for your Vegas life.
And so imaginative! The only secret I can think about right now is overindulging at a buffet or two!
A secret huh? Well, it's not really a secret (at least amongst those who know me) that I love gambling. Craps is my favorite. So I can't really say that.
Honestly, my biggest Las Vegas Secret would be that if I were to go to Vegas right now, alone, I'd probably spend the time in my room writing or sleeping.
Though I have wanted to learn to belly dance. I could see myself doing that, maybe.
PS welcome officially to the boat, Laura! We've enjoyed having you hanging around with us this week! :)
I would love to learn to dance--though it would take a teacher with the patience of Job to teach me--and then we could enter dance contests...and I could wear beautiful glittery dresses and gorgeous sparkly heels.
And I'd also love to learn to pole dance--again that would take some major patience to learn. I also love the shoes. So my Vegas secret is probably I'm a librarian by day (always wanted to be a librarian) and a pole dancer by night.
Welcome Laura!
Hmm...In real life I'm with Marnee - I LOVE to gamble. It doesn't help that Father-in-Law is a VP at a huge casino. Those are fun family trips!
For a make-believe Vegas secret...I'm thinking I'm the lead showgirl in some risque revue. LOL
Thanks for the kind welcomes, it has been a blast hanging around the ship with you pirates this last week. You may not get rid of me!
Marnee Jo, I love craps too. When I lived in Vegas, my boss (a young Cary Grant look alike!) and I snuck off to the local casino at lunch one day and he taught me to play. Uh, craps, I mean. It's exciting, but I'm safer at the nickel poker machines!
Hi Laura! Loved the banter in the excerpt and I'm very curious about what exactly Antonio's secret night life involves...no, wait, don't tell me. I'll have to read the book. :)
I love Laura already.
Secret life. Secret life *pondering*
This was a great interview. I try not to say those things because it encourages Jack to do other bad things like the peeking tom bit in the crow's nest.
I'd dance in a very private exclusive peep show.
Hm, we're spilling real secrets too?
I'm pretty straight laced.
I dunno why Hells always faints when I say that. Just because my name is Sin doesn't mean I'm the original sinner.
I faint because I'm laughing so hard, I run out of oxygen and pass out. That's all.
Okay. I do bad things. So what. I admit while most of the time I can get people to believe that I'm the original good girl, straight laced office lackey, that only works if they didn't know me prior to the change. Or after 6 pm.
That doesn't mean we tell people that.
*giving the look*
I'm too dippy to keep a lie straight. I mean, why bother? Good girls go to heaven, but bad girls go everywhere.
Hey Laura,
CONGRATULATIONS!!! on your new release...
I can't wait to read it!!!
My secret would have to be my addiction to buying purses and handbags!!!
Happy Reading!!!
Happy Halloween!!!
Anna Shah Hoque
s7anna@yahoo.ca
WOW an interview to die for. If you had asked I would had joined you in the interview..not sure I would had my mind on any kind of book but you know some people do get sidetracked around certain men. I am looking for all the little secrets out there so your book sounds great. I really did have my mind on what you both were saying HONEST!!! susan L.
And everything.
Okay, I was putting thought into this and since obviously I'm the blog killer today (Go me!) I mean this whole idea about secrets plays well into my writing because I have the tendency to write little scenes in my writing that... Well either secrets or fantasies of my own.
So that whole bit between Sadie and Ash and the strip club, yeah, that just didn't get made up on the spot.
Anyone else got something they want to add out there about fantasy to writing? C'mon, it's Friday. We're pirates. Let's have some fun.
Great post.
I think we all have our secrets. I know my characters have plenty secrets and I have fun making the spill them, too.
CC
I love makin' up secrets...come up, crew! Use yer imagination...
It were easy fer. I love writin' nasty, so I would be a natural fer adult films... ;)
Good ta see ya back, Q. I'm sure ya could find some juicy secrets ta hint at...
Hi, Christie! I'm makin' up a batch of Frosty Nipples, extra grapefruit juice ta help combat the flu goin' around. Want one?
I can't think of what my secret Vegas life would be but I do identify with that great moment in fiction when the "good girl" takes a walk on the wild side and the hero sees her in a whole new light. Besides the sparks, like in Laura's excerpt, there's nothing like the "bad boy" seeing her like others might (a sexy siren) and getting all protective or suddenly thinking if he doesn't make a move on the girl he thought was "off limits" in some strange bad boy honor, then someone else will! :) Thinking of lots of books where the heroine goes to a masquerade ball or takes on a different identity. And from the heroine's perspective I love that idea that she is willing to do whatever it takes to be a part of the hero's secret life.
I'm a big fan a' winnin' the amateur strippin' contest...
Hmmm, my secret? My secret would probably be a burlesque dancer, masked of course. My other one would be a risque Picasso-style painter, but since I have no talent with the paints they'd probably tell me to not quit my night job.
And I've watched the movie Grease again, can you tell? LOL
I love burlesque dancers! We can have a Pirate Burlesque Show! (Didn't the Charlie's Angel's movie feature them at the Treasure Chest? *LOL* That was a burlesque show.)
Hels, we could do a cover version of "He Had It Coming" from Chicago... I could really see that in me head.
Which is disturbin'...
The theme seems to be dancing, both on and off of poles. I wonder if all 'girls' love to dance? If we asked a group of men what their secret Vegas life would be, I bet we'd get a lot of sports-book and Bunny Ranch answers.
I love Jack Sparrow. How do I get him in MY bathtub?? I suppose though I'd have to make room for my other man. Souinds liek a great read you have there.
Jannifer
*swings in from somewhere above*
I'm here! Late, as usual, but here.
Awesome interview, ladies, and welcome to the ship, Laura. We've been happy to have you all week and certainly hope you'll become a regular. Some time ago, I read an excerpt of this book somewhere and now can't remember where. I think I caught you on another blog. Damn stupid non-existent memory!
But, I'm happy to say I recently received a Sony Reader as a present and YOU will be my first e-purchase. As soon as I figure out how to do that.
Vegas secrets....*thinks hard*...I would have gone with the dancing but since there's an entire troupe at this point, maybe I should think of something else.
*thinks some more*
I'm thinking it would involve me and someone special in a very fancy suite and possible activities that are illegal in several states.
That's all I'm saying.
Oh, and I've been taking belly dance for two months. It's a blast. I've just started the second level of classes and I get to learn to dance with the veil this time. So cool!
Really? I killed the blog? Well fine.
I killed it earlier.
Sin - That cover for Laura's book looks exactly like I'd imagine a cover of yours to look. LOL! The arms crossed and the implied dialogue of...
Him: Stubborn ass.
Her: Stubborn ass.
I can so see us all dancing to "He had it comin'". Seriously, I could get into that.
Can we dance with that cool ballet bar and we all get to kick up our legs and do those funky contortions around it?
(We're all skinny and hot in this fantasy dance number, right? I mean, I'm not fitting into any Pussycat Dolls outfits without some hefty imagination.)
I can totally get behind the He Had It Comin' thing.
I totally want to be the girl who said, "He ran into my knife, he ran into my knife TEN times."
Or the first girl: "So I fired two warning shots...into. His. Head."
It would be to gamble I love blackjack and slot machines.
I love my cover, too. The first version I got from my cover artist was the naked torso of a man, his privates hidden by the casino tower. It was beautiful, but it looked more like an erotic book than a spicy romance. So...being the bossy chick I am, I e-mailed the artist back and asked if we could put some clothes on the dude.
She was so wonderful! She gave me the name of the site where they bought their photos, and told me I could pick out what I wanted. Really amazing, since I've always heard stories of publishers giving you whatever cover they wanted.
Within two days, I had the perfect cover, and yes, definitely, the crossed arms are intentionally secretive and belligerent.
Okay, enough with my digressions, back to the dancing girls and musical numbers!
Whew! Okay, sorry about my laxness on "moderating comments"--so I welcome Anna Shah Hoque, Susan Leech, Jannifer, and Sherry to the ship!! Hello ladies!
Anna, I will join you in the shopping so long as we get to stop off at a bookstore...
Susan, certain type of men are VERY distracting. In a good good way. *zones out momentarily* Oh, I'm sorry what were we talking about?
Jannifer, Jack is due for another bath in 3 weeks. We can probably sneak you into his bathroom routine then if you like. Bring a loofah.
Sherry, another gamble? I swear there are a lot of people on this ship willing to bet their shirt...
BTW, Q? I am a big believer in recyclin'...but a once every three week bath? I'm not sure there be filters fine enough ta return that bubble ta a level safe fer human consumption.
Jus' sayin'.
Ya busy puttin' out more fires, Bo'sun? ;)
I do thinks we need ta add some lyrics ta the song...not just stabbin', shootin'... I wanna toss someone ta the Kraken... And there be walkin' the plank over a pool a' sharks...bein' pierced wit' ninja stars... There be so many! We need a man worthy a murder from everyone on board...
Mayhaps we keep puttin' the blog inta a coma... Mostly dead?
Hey! Big rousin' happy birthday to Jane-O!
Happy birthday, Jani-O!
Chance - I was talking to the hose again. :)
Ya need a real big fire extinguisher... Great way ta clobber a man who had it comin'!
Funny how you can talk to a man about his impending wedding (to someone else) and still get hit on. LOL!
He had it comin'!!!
Though I think we ought ta kill a few women in our tribute... Jus' ta be fair.
Uh oh. Blog coma!
ROLF - Johnny, you are a sweet, sweet onion ;)
Great interview, Laura! Congrats on the release! I wish you many many sales!!!
Thanks, Amber! I could spend all day in the tub with Cap'n Jack. I've always had a soft spot for pirates. *grins at her double entendre*
Back in the 1980s, I tried writing historicals. One, entitled, Capture a Pirate's Heart, was set in England, 1800something, virginal debutante, dashing buccaneer who turned out to be a duke or something. Oh, the clichés just keep on coming! But an editor read it, so I knew I was on the right track. Wish I'd kept it up!
Funny, when I talk about my writing, I don't even consider this manuscript my first - it's been under the bed for so many years!
Time for a rewrite???
Chance said: BTW, Q? I am a big believer in recyclin’…but a once every three week bath? I’m not sure there be filters fine enough ta return that bubble ta a level safe fer human consumption.
Jus’ sayin’
I wasn't thinking of Jack dear lady. Only the illustrious visiting authors get bathed in champagne! The writing essence must rub off so bottling seems the best way to capture it.
Laura said: If we asked a group of men what their secret Vegas life would be, I bet we’d get a lot of sports-book and Bunny Ranch answers.
Living in the sticks here in the UK I'm not sure what a Bunny Ranch is. I have heard of a bunny girl though. In my wildest fantasy I would play roulette for very high stakes with a bunny girl rolling the dice. Winner takes everything, including the girl! *grin*
Q, I'm glad you asked! The Midnight Bunny Ranch is a brothel outside Las Vegas. It's also an HBO series, which is where I came to know it - staring fascinated at another one of Vegas's legalized sins.
Cute line about bottling the author's champagne and writing essence. And interesting, because once in a while I drink while I write, then read the chapters the next morning. New cure for writer's block - drink and write!
Anyone else out there write after a couple Frosty Nipples?
I'll sometimes drink before a sex scene, because otherwise I think I'm being too purple prosy. I mean, I AM, but if I'm tipsy, I'm a lot less judgmental about it...and as laNora says, You can't fix a blank page.
Yeah, Hels gets drunk or the Amish stays atop it all... ;)
And Q, if Jack would stay outta the tub, that would work!
Damn, I probably just got in trouble on FB. Some b*tch had to make some smarmy comment about fat people on a plane. ARGH! I had to respond... Sigh.
This is a different side to the Laura I know and love. Thanks for another clip of the book. It's outrageously fantastic!
KJ
Thanks for stopping by, Kristin! Yes, I'm always very professional and appropriate at our writers' group meetings, but get me within a hundred feet of a pirate, and watch out!
You had me at Jack Sparrow. Very entertaining interview. I could picture Jack offering up Bonbons. Love the excerpt? Sound like it was going to be a he** of a night. LOL.
Autumn
www.autumnjordon.com
2009 Golden Heart Finalist
very intertaining interview thats for sure lol niceee excerp and as for my scecret life
id lead the life of a naughty sex slave by night and a business woman by day er um i mean yeah thats exactly what i ment
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