Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Captain Jack visits with Erotic Romance Writer Roni Loren
*The camera zooms in on Captain Jack Sparrow as he shifts on
a stool in the center of a large room. He eyes a St. Andrew’s Cross leaning
against the wall and a table of sex toys next to it. A lovely woman sits across
from him, an open smile on her face, completely at ease. Marnee scurries over
and hands Jack a stack of index cards, waving excitedly at Roni Loren.*
Marnee: Here you go,
Jack. Now, please. For the love of God, please. Just read from the cards.
Jack: Of course, love. Just like always.
Marnee: But you never
just read from the cards.
Jack: *eyes table next to the cross* Is that a whip? Because
you know I’m a pacifist. It’s my religion.
Marnee: *waves her
hand dismissively.* It’s a flogger. And don’t talk about religion. You’re not
fooling anyone. Now, remember, the cards.
Jack: *eyes still on
the table.* Where are we?
Marnee: We’re at The
Ranch, a major setting in Ms. Loren’s novels.
It’s an exclusive resort where all your sexual fantasies can be
fulfilled.
Jack: *sniffs indignantly, sitting up straighter.* Not all sexual fantasies, obviously. I’ve never been here before.
Marnee: Right. How
silly of me.
Jack: Must I remove
my clothes?
Marnee: No! No
no. You’re just here for an interview.
Jack: I’m happy to
oblige, you know. In the name of
fantasies and the like. *Glances at the
table again* But, I will insist upon a
strictly non-painful approach. I’m a
lover, not a, well, not a lover of pain.
Marnee: *Pats his
arm* Yes, we know, Jack. Thank you. I’m sure they’ll let you know if that’s
necessary. *Points to the stack of questions.* Remember. Cards.
Jack: *giving Marnee his most charming smile.* Of course. I
live for these cards. How could I possibly do these interviews without you fine
wenches and these incredibly helpful and informative index cards?
*Marnee rolls her eyes and smiles apologetically at their
guest before scurrying off to join the rest of the pirates on a set of couches
nearby.*
*Jack clears his throat and smiles his most charming smile
at the camera*
Jack: Good morning
and welcome to another Incomparable Interview with the Incomparable Captain
Jack Sparrow. *gesticulates wildly with
his hands, gives the best impression of a bow he can manage while seated.* Today, we welcome the lovely Roni Loren,
whose most recent novel, Still Into You, was released last week from Berkley
Heat. Her next novel, Melt Into You,
will be out in July. Welcome, Ms.
Loren.
*Jack leans forward and takes Ms.
Loren’s hand, trailing kisses along her palm*
Marnee: Jack! Just
read!
Jack: Right.
Cards. *Shuffles stack in hand,
muttering* So wordy, these
wenches…. Ah, here we are then. Ms. Loren, please tell us a little something
about your most recent releases.
Roni: Well, STILL INTO YOU is about Leila and Seth, a
married couple who love each other but realize that over time, they’ve lost the
spark between them. After Seth finds out his wife was tempted to cheat, he
takes drastic measures to save their marriage. He takes her...*ponders how best
to explain this to a pirate*, he takes her captive and brings her here to a
fantasy resort to give her three days off from marriage vows. But he plans on
showing her that she doesn’t need anyone but him to fulfill her fantasies.
Jack: Captive, you say? That has some real promise. *glances at cards again, forehead wrinkled.* It says
here that your books are a series, the Loving On The Edge series. Why “On The Edge”? *Lifts head, fingering his cutlass.* I hope
not like the edge of a plank? Because I
assure you, I’ve done that and there is nothing sexy about it.
Roni: *smiles* No planks, but as you can see there are ropes,
floggings, and restraints. Come to think of it, a pirate would probably be
quite popular here at The Ranch.
Jack: *with a roguish grin* I assure you, I'm quite popular everywhere. I am the Incomparable Captain...
Marnee: *cuts him off* JACK!
Jack: Right. So, tell
me, when do you plan to write about pirates?
Marnee: *groans*
Jack: *holds his hands up* Love, I know sometimes I ask this
question and it’s not relevant but I assure you, it fits here. Pirates tie people up too, you know.
*Marnee’s palm meets her forehead*
Roni: Well, my heroines sometimes have capture fantasies so
a pirate scene might fit right in. *discreetly passes Jack an invitation to
spend a night at The Ranch* Be sure to wear the outfit.
Jack: *under his breath* You like the outfit? I am quite dashing, no? *louder* And what about
ships? The ocean? Any of that in your future books?
Roni: Not much open water here in North Texas so that might
be a bit tougher to work in.
Jack: Huh. Pity, that. Well, the wenches here love to hear a good call story. Can you
tell us about The Call and your journey to publication? *In stage whisper* It’ll help them forget
about the pirate question.
Roni: I queried two books before CRASH INTO YOU. One was a
YA (I know, big jump) and the other a category contemporary romance. While I
was waiting to hear back on the second one, I got an idea that could only be
written as an erotic romance. I decided to write it, figuring no one would
probably ever see it. But when I finished it, a fellow blogger/writer, Natalie
Bahm, contacted me to tell me her agent (Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary) was
looking to sign more romance writers. Natalie had read some of my writing on my
blog and offered to give me a referral. Sara was already on my wishlist, so I
sent her my first three chapters. A few days later, she requested the full, a
week after that, she offered me representation. One of the best days ever. :)
Jack: That does sound exciting. And what are you
working on now? Can you tell us a little
more about what you’ve got coming in the future?
Roni: I’m currently working on book four in the Loving on
the Edge series. Right now the series has four full length and two novellas
planned, so it’s keeping me busy. Next up is my second novel, MELT INTO YOU,
which is a BDSM menage story that comes out July 3rd. :)
Jack: Well then, that
was a lovely interview. *Glances at the
couch where Marnee is gesturing madly. Squints while he reads her lips.* Oh,
right. Do you have any questions for
us? Or anything else you’d like to
discuss today? *Smiles at Ms. Loren.* I
assure you, these ladies will talk about anything.
Roni: I think I better quit while I’m ahead. But, Jack, if
you ever want to stop by my blog and be my Boyfriend of the Week, you’re more than
welcome. *peeks at archives* Oops, seems we've already had a dalliance. Forgive me. So
many men, so few weeks--my memory fails me at times.
Jack: *grins broadly* I would be happy to visit again, though. Anytime. I endeavor to make myself available to my fans. After all, there is only one Incomparable Captain Jack....
Marnee: JACK!
Jack: Yes. Fine then. *scowls at Marnee but turns a smile back to Ms. Loren.* Thank you again
for coming and for inviting us to this lovely, er, place. *Tosses the cards behind him and smiles at the camera.* So, it's to you, ladies and gentlemen. If you have any questions for Ms. Loren, please leave them. She'll be by to chat with us today.
*******************************
Biography:
Roni Loren wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.
If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the National Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat. Website: www.roniloren.com
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24 comments:
This sounds delish! I love the idea of a married couple willing to do what it takes to add some sparkle to their relationship.
And you can manage a pirate ship in Texas...! Vegas did it!
I assume each story features a couple...married? Or some singletons in their looking for love?
Welcome aboard, Roni!! I have to say, I picked up Crash Into You after reading as much as I could stomach of 50 Shades (er, not much). All I could think was that there must be better erotic romance out there, erotic romance that had a story. I liked it so much. For those who haven't read erotic rom before, Crash is a great place to start. :)
Mo - I have Still Into You on my Kindle right now. Such a great hook.
Welcome aboard!
I was so intrigued by Still Into You I promptly went over to Amazon and downloaded it into my Kindle. Now the trick will be actually working at work today instead of reading.
Oh, who needs to work? LOL!!
Great interview! And I love your covers!!!
I have been trying to read this blog for hours! WHY did the day job have to blow up on guest day??
Roni - I've been following you on Twitter and love your blog. Not just the boyfriend of the week either. ;) Your covers are HAWT and I'm sure the pages inside are too.
Been meaning to pick up your debut but life simply will not slow down enough for me to do all the things I want. Still, doesn't mean I can't have the book at the ready!
I have to ask, do you feel as if this is the genre you must continue with or are you still pursuing the YA or category realms.
And though I'm sure you get tired of this question, I'm asking anyway because I really want to know. How did you go about the research for this one? Not in the "eyebrow wiggling" sort of way but just to make sure you hit the right details.
Like any other genre, BDSM has certain expected elements so reading others would help, but I imagine there is still some research required to get it right.
*cracking up laughing* I love this interview. Jack is always Jack, even with Marn riding herd on him. And Roni's books sound divine!
Pardon the unintentional pun, but do you find it hard to write erotica? I write rather mild sex...or almost closed door sex because being in the sex scene almost always makes me laugh. I end up having my characters cracking jokes inappropriately. Which is not unlike what I do at the doctor's office when I'm also naked, insecure, and having things poked in me. Still...not what you want to do with your readers in a sex scene...you know what I mean.
What's your biggest challenge in writing it? And what's the easiest part? (If there is an easy part?)
(And yes, I too am sorry I'm only just now coming to the blog. I also had a Work Just Blew Up Today day.) Welcome aboard, Roni!
I think these covers are hawt and awesome too. le sigh.
And I'm glad Ter asked about the research because I didn't know how to do it without sounding like I was eyebrow wiggling too. LOL!!
Which is not unlike what I do at the doctor's office when I'm also naked, insecure, and having things poked in me.
hahahaha!! This cracked me up.
Hellie does have a way with invoking an image, doesn't she? LOL!
:) And I chuckled because I crack jokes in the doctor's office too. I can't help it. They look so... attentive all the time. Having someone look so close at me, just trying to find something wrong? It makes me inappropriately silly.
Well, I believe, though I can't say for certain, that the BDSM crowd can get quite irrate at authors getting the details wrong. Just like the historical authors, you gotta watch your step.
Which opens up an entire new line in inquirey. What do they do to authors that get it 'wrong'?
Maureen, Thanks! And no, this is the only one so far about a married couple. The others are more traditional boy meets girl. (Though both CRASH and MELT are reunited lovers stories.)
Marnee, thanks so much! So glad you liked CRASH.:) And 50 Shades, well...I just hope people don't judge the whole genre by that one book. Erotic romance has so many fabulous authors and stories out there.
Thanks, Leslie! :)
Sin, Thanks! Hope you enjoy the book (and don't get in too much trouble at work). :)
Terri, I definitely haven't ruled out other genres. I like a lot of different things. Though I can't see writing anything without a romantic element. But it's just a matter of finding time to write other stuff. This series is keeping me pretty busy. :) As for research, that's a very important element. BDSM is its own subculture with certain rules and mores, so even though books are fiction and can use creative license, you don't want to write something that's blatantly wrong or disrespectful to the community. Talking to people who are in the community is one option for research (online or in person), there's google, and then there are some great non-fiction resources out there (SM 101 by Jay Wiseman is a good start.) Personal hands on research is optional. ;)
MsHellion, I think any writing is hard, lol, regardless of genre. But I enjoy writing love scenes. I know a lot of people have that uncomfortable thing about writing the sexy stuff, but I worked past that my-mother-may-read-this fear pretty quickly. I'm actually teaching a How To Write Love Scenes class next week for free online and one of the topics we're covering is how to get more comfortable writing sex scenes. (Details here if anyone is interested: http://www.roniloren.com/blog/2012/6/6/how-to-write-love-scenes-that-dont-suck-a-free-class.html
I so love Jay's books! So witty and matter-of-fact at the same time.
Maureen, You're right that people will call you out if you get it wrong. I think that's why a lot of erotic authors are a little ruffled about 50 Shades. It wasn't the most respectful of the BDSM thing because it treated it like a thing that needed to be cured or something that happens because of past abuse instead of just a preference. I didn't read the second two books, but I definitely didn't appreciate that aspect of the first one.
What did writers do before Google? LOL!
When I first started writing, I didn't think I'd like writing the sex scenes, but I really enjoy them. The first one I ever wrote was in the dark late at night, like I had to do it covertly or something.
With my last MS I wrote the sex scene in my car parked at my daughter's elementary school (she had volleyball practice) while Little Leaguers practiced in the field in front of me. LOL! It was no problem.
But I'm still checking out that class.
That's likely the other question you're getting a lot these days. What do you think of Fifty Shades? I'm not willing to read it, but you can't miss all the buzz. I'd like to think it'll at least bring new readers to the genre, but would hate to think it might put others off who assuming they're all just like that one.
Okay, I'm already signed up for her Yahoo Group, but can't see how I'd be part of your class--is there a different spot to sign up for that class?
I just clicked through and I'm a bit confused too. Though I'm not on the loop. I will be now!
(Just what I need. One more loop. LOL!)
The sign up for the class is a bit confusing. You're good if you signed up for the group. Lessons will come via email in the loop and then discussion will happen in the chat loop. :)
And Terri, yes, I'm hoping that 50 Shades will end up helping the whole genre and introduce new readers to erotic romance. It is nice to have people openly talking about a genre that people only whispered about before.
Sorry guys, I got caught up in the chaos of the day!
Thank you again, Roni, for visiting with us!!
Thanks for having me! It was fun! :)
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