The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Thanks to JB Lynn for asking me to be part of this blog hop. And thankfully this one has questions to answer. I will cheat a little by giving information on my soon to be released The Circle series book, CIRCLE OF DECEPTION, instead of my work-in-progress one. I hate to give out too much information on a book not sold. Too much can be changed about it, or it could not be sold, and I have no idea if or when I’ll have time to self-publish a book. So let’s dive in.

What is the working title of your book?

CIRCLE OF DECEPTION is the only one of the three that kept its original working title. CIRCLE OF DESIRE was originally titled by me as OUT OF THE SHADOWS and CIRCLE OF DANGER was IN THE SHADOWS. Though I will say that I had planned for the next book in this series, before it sold, would be BEYOND THE SHADOWS, but I had never attached it to DECEPTION. BEYOND was to be Jack’s story (he’s in DANGER as the lead male character’s second in command). Maybe in the future I’ll have time to write and self-publish his story along with a couple others.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

In the case of DECEPTION, it grew from the previous two books, DESIRE and DANGER. The Circle series itself came from my love of spy, mercenaries and assassin books and movies, such as James Bond (my favorite is anything Pierce Brosnan was in), the TV series from early 2000, La Femme Nikita, Linda Howard’s ALL THE QUEEN’S MEN, Shannon McKenna’s McCloud books and Anne Stuart’s ICE series.

What genre does your book fall under?

Avon lists it under erotic romantic suspense, though I see it in erotica categories on the book sites, it’s really not erotica. Yes. It’s hot but not to the extent of most erotica stories.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?

The Rock with hair could play Rex and Jessica Alba as Abby. The reason I show The Rock with long and short hair is that it was past his broad shoulders in DESIRE and DANGER, but in DECEPTION he’d gone commando and cut it high and tight.

What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

Two lovers must come to understand what happened in the past is unimportant when it comes being in love in the here and now.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

This book was represented by an agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I wrote it on and off for six months.  Usually it takes me four months for first draft and one to two months to edit.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I guess the books I mentioned above under “where did the idea come from.” But I believe my books have their own feel to them.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

In this case, I’ll talk about what inspired me to write the series. At the time, I had finished four paranormal romances and two small town romantic suspense books. None were getting the attention from editors or agents that I hoped. I’d heard that vampire books weren’t selling and my small town books kept getting rejected, so I decided I needed to write something else. As writers, we’re told to write what you love to read. Well, that would’ve been paranormal romances, but since that market was saturated, I decided to write my next love: Spy books, especially like La Femme Nikita. Then the idea for CIRCLE OF DESIRE was born.

What else about your book might interest the reader?

There’s a scene in the book I wrote from personal experience. LOL!  I’m such a tease.

Mini Excerpt:    (Abby and Rex meet others before a dinner given by arms dealer, Brody.)

The first person to enter was the tall blonde with manufactured boobs Brody had brought to the cocktail party.

“You remember Greta. She was kind enough to play hostess for me tonight.” Brody pulled her into his arms and kissed her. No light peck on the lips for them, instead tongues thrust and parried into each other’s mouths, visible in flashes while Brody’s hand covered and squeezed a full breast.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with the reenactment from the other night, Abby glanced up at Rex. With a smirk on his face, he watched with interest. She jabbed him in the side. His grunt brought his attention to her. She jerked her head at the display and lifted her shoulders.

“Such a sweet candy cane. Always in season.” Brody chuckled as he pulled away. He then slapped her butt as she walked by barely acknowledging them with a nod as she lifted a glass of white and slunk over to the sectional.

Next, a beautiful man and woman glided in. They looked so much alike, they could’ve been related. Their long blonde, almost white hair ended at the small of their backs. Abby had never seen a man with hair that long and silky and smooth. The desire to touch it had her clutching her glass a little tighter. Their eyes were the lightest gray and like the color of snow at night with a full moon. The only difference between the two was what they wore. His pale blue jeans were topped with a regular white button up shirt, while the woman dressed in an ankle length white cotton dress that was so thin, Abby could see her small dark nipples underneath.

Okay. Talk about getting creepier by the minute.

“I would like to introduce the supreme artists of photography, Leif and Spring Erickson. Their pictures have been shown in the renowned Museum of Modern Art in New York City and so many galleries, they’re too numerous to count.” Brody leaned over and air-kissed their cheeks. “These are my dear friends, Rurik Volkov and his wife, Abby.”

“So nice to meet you.” The man had a slight lisp and the woman stared at Rex as if she wanted to eat him where he stood. What surprised Abby was how the man looked at Rex the same way. Oh, oh. The couple finally moved away with glasses of white wine—figured—over to the sofa to sit across from Greta.

The last couple to walk in looked like the average redneck and his barely clothed wife. His Dale Earnhardt Junior ball cap had sweat-stains around the brim and his wife’s visible stomach sported a red eighty-eight dangling from a loop in her belly button.

 “So you two are Brody’s new friends.” He reached out his hand to Rex and started pumping. “I’m Bubba Hagley and this here is my wife, Kristy.”

Abby tilted her head as the men shook hands. The dark-headed man looked familiar to her for some reason. She’d never met a Bubba before and certainly not the one standing in front of her, but his dark eyes and the way he held himself reminded her of someone.

“So nice to meet you, sweet thang, and I hope to get to know you much better over the weekend.” Bubba’s grin warned he meant exactly what he was saying. Though he was handsome and a little thinner than she liked, his sable brown eyes pulled her in, encouraging her to trust him.

“Now, sugar, don’t let him frighten you. He’s a teddy bear and loves all women. He gets carried away at times.” His wife slapped his hand. That was when she realized he’d grabbed hers and held it tight.

“He doesn’t frighten me.” She tugged at her hand, and he continued to grin at her.

“Bubba, I’m Rurik. Her husband.” Rex pulled on her wrist.

Were they going to have a tug of war with her as the rope? Thankfully Bubba had the sense to let go.

With a crooked grin that Abby found interesting, Bubba chuckled as he released her and placed his arm over his wife’s bare shoulders and joined the others.

Thanks to JB Lynn for inviting me to be part of this Blog Hop. I was to tag five other authors, but there are so many Blog Hops (or the same one) going on, only two accepted. I’m betting you’ll enjoy their posts too.  They should show up next week, so be sure to come back and check it out.

Julie Johnstone at Lady Scribes www.ladyscribes.blogspot.com

Lexi George at Romance Magicians www.romancemagicians.blogspot.com

Now for the question:  What is your favorite go-to type of story?  Vampires, ghosts, spies, small town, cowboy (modern or 1800’s), military, etc.

One commenter will win an e-format copy of CIRCLE OF DECEPTION!  Be aware that it won’t be available until December 26.

And if you would like a chance to win a Kindle or $100 Amazon gift card, go to my website at www.carlaswafford.com and sign up for my newsletter. Details are there.

And again, if you’re on Goodreads, look under CIRCLE OF DECEPTION for the paperback giveaway.

Good reading!

Aloha Everyone!

No, I'm not in Hawaii. But, boy, oh, boy, I wish I was.  The next best thing is that I'm visiting with the SOS Aloha blog. Come over and comment.  You might win a book.

Day Thirteen of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

You thought I would've stopped before gettting to number 13? Then you don't know me and don't know that the number 13 is lucky for me.  Anyway, this is the end of the line of the current blog tour.  So come by and say hello. You'll probably recognize some of the hostesses. Cool, heh?  Here I come Jaunty Quills! Cute name, isn't it? The question is, do they know what they gotten themselves into?

By the way, the post is about Misdirection and the movie, Ten Things I Hate About You. Well, sorta.

Day Twelve June 14th open

I'm so funny. Left this on the blog schedule too.

Boy, I'm glad to get a day of rest from the tour.  Be sure to check back tomorrow and then come visit me at the next stop. The post will be about Misdirection.  I think you might find it interesting.

If you like my books, be sure to comment on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  It helps people find my books to buy.  Thanks!

Day Eleven of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

We're getting close to the end of the blog tour. But there is still more fun to be had. So check out My Overstuffed Bookshelf. I've got a special treat for you. A day in the life of a writer. No. It's not Linda Howard's life. Mine. Yeah. I know you don't wanna, but you gotta. I've giving away a book. Yes. Mine. Geez!  Beggars can't be chosers.

Day Nine and Ten of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

Yep! That's two days worth of talking and giving away! Be sure to come over and comment but hang around and check out the website, Just Romantic Suspense. Everyone who writes romantic suspense can be found there. All in one place.

And then later in July, be sure to visit again.

Day Eight - June 10th open

LOL!  I placed this marker on my blog posts to remember that it was open and then forgot I did it. LOL!  As you can tell, I'm not visiting a blog today (except my own).  So between going to the grocery store, having lunch with a Facebook friend (Hey Deborah!) and writing, it will be a little calmer.

Though I still have another blog post to finish and emailed out before Wednesday.

Yesterday, I wrote on the WIP, met a good friend for lunch, wrote a complete long post (didn't mean for it to be so long) that will show up Monday on JustRomanticSuspense.com, corrected a list of emails on MailChimp that I ended up not using (hate when that happens) and prepared a brand spanking new newsletter for my writers group and mailed it out to a new list of emails I added in Outlook. Whew!  I finished all that at nearly three this morning.

Next weekend doesn't look any better. My oldest daughter is moving into her new house Saturday and I must help. It's only right. And Sunday is Father's Day and I will be traveling to see my dad. Somehow I'll get more writing in between all of that. Summers are always crazy and it appears I will always be under deadline.  Thus is life.

Day Seven of the New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

This place will feel familiar. Come on over to the Romance Magicians' blog. SM Member Mary Freeman has interviewed me. She's a sweetheart! Be sure to tell her congratulations on her first sale too.

Day Six of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

The fun isn't over yet. Be sure to visit me. Even if you've already won a book, don't give up now. Talk to me over at United by Books. Click and check it out!

Day Five of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

I think you're getting the hang of this, click, link, talk, win-win-win.  LOL!  I'm over at Seductive Musings. Anything seductive just sounds...uh...seductive, don't it?  Come on this is fun!

Day Four of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

Yep, the fun keeps rolling in. Click on the link and visit me at Books and Kisses! They're interviewing me and had some interesting questions. You might win a book.

Day Two of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

New day, new opportunity to talk with me and win a book.  Come on over and visit me at Love Romance Passion blog.

[updated 6/5/12:  Oops! Something went wrong here. So don't visit. My post never showed up.  Maybe some other time.]

Day One of New Blog Tour - Circle of Danger

Come of to Romancing the Book and hang out with me.  I'm giving away a book. Don't let me be all alone.

Be On The Look Out!

The 13 days of blogging is coming soon. Starts June 3 and it will be a lots of fun. And of course, you can possibly win a book or two. You never know what I'll do next.

Romance Writing Syndromes

I wrote this originally for Just Romantic Suspense.  Be sure to check out the website. It has great info, lots of author interviews and plenty of giveaways!

In books, I’ve found the ones I enjoy the most have family in it. Most romances have what I’ve heard called the Dead Parent Syndrome. You’ve never seen so many orphans than you do in Romance. And don’t get me started on the Only Child Syndrome. You sort of expect DPS to show up in historical romance. Between all of the diseases and the nasty childbirth practices back then, chances were good that the main characters were raised by an aunt or uncle. But the phenomenon spilled over to contemporary many years ago. As an author, I know how tempting it is to kill off all of the family. Just think of the angst and damage the person would be going through all alone. Plus the character can behave any way they want without worrying about how mom would react.

Why do I like having parents and siblings even in the type of romantic suspense I write? First, let me explain what I write. I love edgy, hot stories of a man and woman who try to do right but screw up along the way. (Pun intended.) My current book, Circle of Desire, is so much like that and the strange thing is in this book the two main characters have DPS. But siblings pop up everywhere and that trend continues in my book due out June 5, Circle of Danger. But in the third book, Circle of Deception (tentatively titled), someone’s parents will finally show up, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

So now I’ll answer the question above. I believe readers can only handle so much angst and damage. A favorite author of mine loves to torment her characters and one book of hers in particular I had to put down a time or two because of all the pain and suffering. All I could think of is, “Give the guy a break!” Hey, when you like the hero, you want his life to improve, especially after meeting the heroine (and vice-versa). Besides, we like believing there are parents who are alive and their children have grown up to become awesome heroes/heroines. Some of us had parents who did a decent job of parenting. If we’re messed up, it’s because of actions by other people, not in our nuclear family, that have touched us in a negative or positive way or maybe all it is, is us being human.

I FINISHED BOOK #3!

April Fools!  Surely, you didn't get taken in by that?  I'm nowhere finished. But it's moving along.  Please be sure to sign up for  my newsletter. I plan next week to send out an excerpt of Book #3 (tentatively titled CIRCLE OF DECEPTION). It's the opening scene of the book actually and I think you'll love it. I do. But I love all of my books equally. They are like my children - a part of me.

First, Happy Birthday to my sister. Love ya, sis!

Second, come over to Just Romantic Suspense and comment on my post titled "Romance Writing Syndromes." You might find it interesting.  Plus you could win a copy of CIRCLE OF DESIRE (paperback or e-format) and CIRCLE OF DANGER (e-format), one of each title. One per winner. 

Hope to see you there. In the meanwhile, I'm back writing on Book #3.

Re-Run #10

Avon Romance: Introducing Carla Swafford (October 26, 2011)

I'm going to cheat on this one and make you click here and you'll go straight there. It's just so cool as this one was on Avon's blog. Yeah. Cool, isn't it?  I never dreamed I would be with the same publisher as Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In fact, the other day, all of the Avon authors had a conference call to hear a presentation on Social Media and Susan spoke up. When she said her name, I had to cover my mouth from squealing. Considering how often I roll my eyes when other people do that, that's got to tell you something. LOL!

Re-Run #9

This one is from Cynthia Eden's blog on November 8, 2011. She's a talented and kind author who invited me to her blog. It was a lot of fun with lots of comments.

Why I Love Alphas, and No! My Heroine Isn’t A B*tch.

Thank goodness Cynthia doesn’t write young adult. Otherwise, I would have to change the title, and I would hate that as it clearly tells you what I’m about to post.

First, let’s talk about heroines, especially those strong willed and confident ones. In Circle of Desire, Olivia St. Vincent is logical and capable of doing the job required without allowing her emotions to interfere with the job. When I first wrote the book, my critique partners disliked her. Yet, I thought she was interesting. She was totally different than any of the tough heroines in the books I love to read.

So I had to figure out a way to get the readers to give her a chance and not throw the book against the wall. What I found is I needed to show what’s happening deep, deep inside of her in the beginning. Otherwise, she comes across cold and cardboard-like. By inserting a few physical tremors and self-deprecating humor after she completes an assignment (killing a man), readers can look into her psyche and realize she’s what she is because she’s a survivor. Life has thrown her some really hard curve balls and her skin has toughened with each hit.

 I do enjoy writing women like Olivia. Resilient and self-sufficient and enjoys a sexy man on her own terms.

Now let’s talk about my favorite man to read: the Alpha male. Of course, you have to capitalize Alpha for no other reason than they’re, well, Alpha. Seems appropriate, doesn’t it? They’re larger than life. Masterful, dangerous, and downright sexy. Some are more caveman than gentleman. I lean more toward gentleman with an edge. I like them smart. They can talk you into their bed. Who am I kidding? They can look at you with one eyebrow lifted and you’re willing to crawl into their bed, but don’t we all love making them work for it?

Collin Ryker is a gentleman. In the beginning of the book ― don’t worry, I’m not giving away anything that isn’t in the blurb ― he tries to get Olivia to take the knockout drug without forcing her. That is, besides restraining her hands and feet. But when she resists and time has run out, he persuades her to swallow the pills in a unique, and dare I say it, sexy way.

My heroes know they can’t boss around their ladies without repercussions. Hey, the fellows even respect them for it. In Collin’s case, he even gets a little excited by Olivia’s way of showing her displeasure. Heehee.

Collin isn’t the only Alpha in this series. Yes. Another one is due out the first half of 2012. It’s titled Circle of Danger. And I hope to write several more. In Circle of Danger, you’ll find out what makes Collin’s brother tick. While Collin is a gentleman with an edge, Ryker’s all edge with an emphasis on intense. His heroine, Marie, is the only person who can calm his beast. Sigh.

Now, what are some of your favorite traits in the Alpha heroes you enjoy reading?

Re-Run #8

This the post I did at Just Romantic Suspense website on November 9, 2011. It's a great place to find all the authors and their books of romantic suspense. Thus the name of the website.  LOL!

Who Knew Romantic Suspense Would Be The One?
 
Being a lover of all genres of romance, I started reading romantic historicals when I was twelve, and later added Harlequin contemporaries and then whatever paranormals I could find. At that time, there were more horror paranormal than romantic.
 
When I decided to try my hand at writing, my first try was a couple paragraphs about a hand holding a gun and pointing it through an open doorway. My brother teased me about my horrible prose. But I didn’t give up. A few years later, I wrote my first full book: a medieval and the heroine didn’t have a little brother.
 
Who would’ve ever guess that #*&%&^ (mumble-mumble) years later I would be published in romantic suspense. By the way, my brother is very proud of me.
 
When I started writing Circle of Desire, I had completed eight other books and the last two were paranormal. I wanted to look for something different to write. Authors are told all the time write what you love. Well, that’s what I had done so far. I’d written vampires, witches, and a female chauvinist.  Others were of a bad boy preacher’s son, tough-as-nails sheriff, and a female truck driver. So what was left?
 
One of my favorite books of Linda Howard’s is All The Queen’s Men. The über-spy, John Medina, is sexy and pure Alpha. I always have to capitalize Alpha. Just seems right.  Then I love Michael on the TV show, Le Femme Nikita.  He’s soft spoken and so sure of himself.  I have all of the DVDs.

Okay. Now I’ll check and see if you were paying attention. In the third paragraph above, did you notice the type of women I write? They’re not your every day average heroine. So keep that in mind.
 
After contemplating a couple other ideas, I decided to write a book about an assassin, but I wanted to twist it around and have the woman as the coldblooded killer. Yet, at the same time, she needed to be sympathetic. Strange thing, I’ve found female readers are more forgiving of a man who kills, if it is perceived as ridding the world of scum, than they are of a woman doing the same. Anyway, I like heroines who are strong as their heroes. Of course, no matter how they try to emulate men, their emotions get the best of them in the end. Thank goodness. That’s when the romance really blooms and takes off.
 
Olivia St. Vincent is a perfect mate for Collin Ryker. He’s really more brains than brawn though he has no problem defending himself when Olivia tries to kick his butt. Twice.
 
If you like action-packed, intense drama and hot scenes with some moments of sarcasm throw in and then I believe you’ll enjoy Circle of Desire. 
 
But that’s only the beginning of the series. In the first half of next year, you can find out in Circle of Danger how Collin’s brother handles the rebellious woman he’s been forbidden to touch…well, that is, until now.
 
Now, let’s have some fun. I love lists, and thought you might enjoy the top ten clues that you're reading too much Romantic Suspense.
 
10. You suspect every grieving widower of having "a hand" in the death of his wife.
 
9. You see a report of a wreck on the interstate and shout at the television "the boyfriend did it!"
 
8. You believe you can solve any crime if your husband was a sexy police detective.
 
7. You suspect the clean-cut guy in your office of being a potential serial killer because he has "that look."
 
6. You eye the small sunken area in the backyard and wonder if a body is buried there.
 
5. You refuse to go to children’s birthday parties because every time a balloon pops, you duck.
 
4. You feel a need to explain to the checkout boy that you really use the black plastic bags for leaves.

3. You leave the shower curtains open during a shower.

2. You drive past your house believing the car in the rearview mirror is tailing you.
 
1. You become worried that your husband is plotting your death because he’s being too nice after watching a marathon of Cold Case.

 What clues have you found in your life?  But really, can we ever read too much? No!

Re-Run #7

This is from the wonderful and kind Christy Reece's blog October 25, 2011.  She has a great following and writes some great books.  Be sure to check her out.

Why I Like To Write Romances Especially Hot Ones?

You probably can’t believe this but there are people out there who hate romance books. And to make it worse, a lot of those people are women. Yeah. Weird, isn’t it? I have a hard time understanding it too.

Considering women are naturally emotional creatures (duh!), and the best romances are filled to the brim with all kinds of feelings, you would think all of us would love them.  

To me, romances have so much going for them along with all the mushy stuff. First and foremost, they guarantee you a happy ending. Then they offer numerous genres such as general contemporary, historical, suspense, paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, young adult (aww! puppy love) and the newest, horror. Yep. You read it right. The slasher, chill ‘em, thrill ‘em with blood and gore type. Hey, I don’t write it. I merely report it.

Now when it comes to my preferred reading material, I want them to be hot. It can be one of the first six above, but they need to be scorching with no bedroom door shut. I do read some young adult, but please leave the sex out. Even though they have the word adult in their genre description, most of the characters are younger than eighteen. The heavy kissing and petting can get a little steamy and that’s okay. Normal teenager stuff.

So when it came to writing my own book, it made sense I would write hot. I love reading a book where the hero and heroine have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves. I love how they have a problem thinking about anything but each other. When they finally get together, it’s so explosive, that the pages become singed by their lovemaking. Though they may call it having sex or by some other provocative word, we know what’s going to happen. It will be making love by the end of the book.

That’s what happens to Collin in the beginning of Circle of Desire. He has to pat down Olivia, check her for a locator beneath her skin. And for him to do that, she must be naked. He finds he can’t control his hands, and her enthusiastic reaction is a big turn on for him. Before he knows it, he … wait! You have to read the book. I will say that he’s a gentleman and keeps his clothes on. I do love to torment others with little teasing tidbits.

What I like best about that scene is that later you find out Collin is all about controlling his emotions. And every time Olivia is nearby, he’s so turned on, he’s nearly helpless. So he tries to twist the attraction into a means to manipulate her. But as time goes by, you can’t help but wonder if it didn’t backfire.

So to answer the question in the title of this post, I like them hot because it heightens not only the passionate love scenes, but all the emotions between the hero and heroine throughout the book.

So what are some of your favorite hot books?