Erin Nicholas and her Pre-release contest

 *Arranging the pens making sure pencils are sharpened, coffee ready, and wiping the sweat from my hands.*

* door opens- sit up straighter and clear my throat*

 (mumbles to self) Damn, I have butterflies in my tummy...  interviews make me so nervous and especially when  I admire them. *shakes head to clear thoughts*

Erin - You’re so funny! I feel more like I’m sitting down to coffee with one of my favorite romance-reading friends! You always amaze me with how much you read and how passionate you are about it! I’m honored to be one of your favorites!

Dawn - Oh damn you weren't supposed to hear that, but thank you :) now Miss Nicholas, I mean Erin, thank you for taking the time out of your day to sit down with me and answer some questions. I know you have a new book coming out in the next few weeks, (3/20) Everything You've Got, right? Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Erin - I’m ridiculously happy to have this book out. I’m always excited to release a new book and I love all my characters and their stories, but Kat and Luke are special. Partly because I’ve already known them for awhile (they first showed up in Anything You Want last year) but also because I can’t wait to show readers who know Luke from Anything You Want—where he’s the third wheel or the other side of the love triangle—what he’s really like with the right woman. I think that there are some people who might underestimate him from what they know in Anything You Want.

Here’s the blurb to get us started:

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A girl, a guy, a set of handcuffs… What more could happily ever after possibly need?

Anything & Everything, Book 2 

Luke Hamilton’s requirements for the perfect woman are straightforward: live, work and play in his beloved hometown—and get along with his mother. Dr. Kat Dayton’s got it all. And Luke’s noticed. It’s obvious to him that his long-time friend belongs with him, especially after the world-rocking kiss she lays on him at his birthday party.

While Kat can’t deny she’s imagined a kiss like that—and more—for years, she’s less convinced they’re destined for happily ever after. Still, Luke figures that’s nothing a friendly kidnapping and a three-day road trip won’t fix.

Kat would love to let Luke in, but if he discovers the truth—that committee meetings bore her to tears and she’d rather have a root-canal than go to another potluck—his white-picket-fence dreams will be crushed.

Being stuck in an RV with Luke should be three days of flirtatious fun, but for Kat it’s heavenly hell. The close confines and good old-fashioned lust are making a mockery of her perfect-woman façade, and if he finds out about the mistake that might cost her job—and force her to leave town for good—it’ll take more than a sexy pair of handcuffs to keep him close.

Warning: Contains a man who's willing to do anything for the perfect woman, an RV and surprise road-trip to help him prove it, and a woman who's wondering just what the hell she's gotten into.

Pre-order yours now -  Samhain

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Dawn - I love the warning, lol. This is book 2 in your Anything and Everything series right? Now, I have read and absolutely LOVED book 1 Anything You Want, do you have to read the first book to understand the second book? Personally I love series books and won't read outta order but I know there are some that don't mind so can they be read out of order?

Erin - I purposefully wrote the book (and all my series books) so you don’t HAVE to read the first. I know readers sometimes discover a book or an author “out of order”  But I do think there’s some fun to be had with this book if you know the characters, because like I said, I think Luke will surprise some people ;)

Dawn -I have described your books as "Steamy, Sexy, and Sweet". You always seem to have a perfect balance of all those things in your books. How do you do it? If you had to describe your writing how would you? And are you a plotter or panster?

Erin - First, thank you! I LOVE that description, of course!  I don’t know how I do it—LOL. I think it comes naturally because that’s what I like to read. Two of my favorite authors are Susan Andersen and Susan Elizabeth Phillips and I think they both write that way. I might get a little steamier at times but I love when characters have these layers… especially my guys. I love a guy who can want to do the heroine up against the nearest wall, but resists because he knows she needs more than that and he wants to be the one to give her that too.

I’d describe my writing as “real people… only funnier and sexier” LOL I think that my characters are really relatable, but you don’t often find people saying or doing some of the things they do in real life!

I’m a proud pantser! I’ve tried every type of plotting technique and it doesn’t work for me. I start with point A and point B, but how they get from one to the other is a mystery to me until I type it!

Dawn - When coming up with your characters do you every search the net for pics to help inspire? If so can you share some with us??

Erin - You bet! I don’t always do this, but for the most recent two or three books I have and it’s been fun! These are the pictures I’m using for my Romance Trading Cards for Luke and Kat!

Dawn - Okay, I want to know more about the new book!! I feel like I have been waiting for forever for this book. Can we have an excerpt? Tell us some secrets? Are you doing anything special for the release?

Erin - I feel like I’ve been waiting forever too! A secret—I started writing this book right after I finished Anything You Want. But I ran into a problem. Kat and Luke fit together too well. There was no conflict, no wondering if they’d get together… which makes for a short—and boring- book! So I had to decide “what is the worst thing that could happen to these two?” With that answered I was able to finish it, finally!

And yes, I am doing something special! I’m having a big pre-release and release day event to help get the word out about the book and reward my loyal readers who have been waiting (along with you) for this book! You can find details on my blog (http://erinnicholas.blogspot.com/) or Yahoo reader’s group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ErinNicholas/) but the gist is: for helping spread the word about the book you can win goodies!

One of the goodies is a set of mini-handcuffs to everyone who participates and the chance to win a “real sized” set (and other stuff)!

Here’s why:

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“To go to Nashville.”

She blinked up at him. Then started shaking her head. “No. No Nashville. No RV.” No small spaces where she couldn’t get away from him, where she might be tempted to tell him…everything.

“I want you all to myself,” he said huskily, drawing his thumb along her bottom lip and making ribbons of heat swirl through her. Then he grinned. “And I want to be all you have to think about, see and…do for a few days.”

She took a step back from him. A big step. “Whoa. This all sounds… You want to…” Too many thoughts were tumbling through her mind. “I get it. You’re trying to cram months of dating into a few days on a road trip. What are we going to do first when we get back—order the wedding cake or pick out the china pattern we want?” She turned and stomped toward the door. Of course this couldn’t just be sex. Of course he couldn’t just focus on the no-panties thing. This was Luke. He always had a plan and he knew nothing about not getting his way.

He sighed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Marc will make the cake, so obviously we’ll pick china out first.”

She swung back to face him, prepared to tell him what he could do with the cake, but the heat in his eyes stopped her words. He reached up and unknotted his tie as he started forward. “Turn around.”

Something in his tone, or in his eyes, or both made her heart kick against her chest. The air heated as he approached and she felt her breathing quicken.

He slid his tie free from his collar and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

Okay, clothing being removed was good.

“Turn around?” she repeated even as she turned. Hey, this was Luke Hamilton and he was taking stuff off. She was very okay with that.

“Now just hold still.”

No problem. As long as he shut up about Nashville—and well, maybe everything. He needed to use his mouth in other ways.

“Close your eyes,” he said, his lips against her ear.

She did, shivering a little though she was feeling anything but cold.

Then she felt the brush of silk against her cheek and felt him slide what she assumed to be his tie over her eyes. She was sure of it as she felt the gentle tug of him tying the ends behind her head.

“Uh, Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you just blindfold me?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re actually blindfolding me?”

“Yep.”

Her heart sped up. Okay, now they were moving in the direction she wanted.

“It’s very likely I’ll peek,” she told him.

“I’m sure you’re right.”

Then he leaned in.

Kat felt her breath catch and she felt herself drift closer to him, seeking his heat.

“This will fix that.”

But she didn’t ask what he was talking about because his lips met the back of her neck. Tingles spread quickly. She found herself wanting more, tipping her head forward to be sure he knew she was fine with this. His response was to slide his hands down her arms bringing her hands behind her back. Then his tongue licked a spot behind her ear and she lost track of anything else.

A moment later, she felt the cold metal of the handcuffs click around her wrists.

She couldn’t have really explained to anyone how it happened. It was fast and smooth.

She tugged on her wrists. “What are you doing?”

“Handcuffing you.”

“What is going on?” she demanded, trying to sound annoyed.

She didn’t think she pulled it off. She sounded breathless and turned on. Which made sense since that was exactly what she was.

Suddenly she felt him move in front of her and the next thing she knew her world tipped—literally—and she was being carried over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Whatever I want,” he said putting a big palm on her right butt cheek.

Yeah, she couldn’t argue with that assessment of the situation.

Oh, sure, she could scream, kick, run, try to get away. But then she might actually get away which, she was honest enough to admit, was the last thing she really wanted.

Twenty minutes later she’d changed her mind.

She was handcuffed to a chair in the kitchen area of Sabrina and Marc’s RV.

Luke sat in the driver’s seat. Driving. Away from Justice.

She’d tried everything to get him to free her. She’d even offered him a blow job.

He’d turned the radio up at that point and hadn’t turned it down since.

She saw the sign for Martinsburg—he’d removed the blindfold as soon as she was secured to the chair—so she knew they were headed east.

Finally she sighed. Whatever he had planned, he was winning so far. The farther they got from Justice the lower her chances were of hitchhiking back or calling for a ride.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going at least?” she yelled over Green Day’s latest hit.

He leaned forward and lowered the volume. “Nashville.” Apparently he could hear better than he’d let on.

18 10 2010

Then she focused on what he’d said. Nashville? Well, of course they were going to Nashville.

Son of a bitch. She tugged on the bindings at her wrists. He was kidnapping her to Nashville.

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Dawn - Yahoo  readers group? How do we sign up for this?

Erin - I try to make my reader group fun without clogging up in-boxes too much. I love to share news and excerpts and love to give stuff away! I also love asking readers for opinions and input! I’ve asked for help in naming characters, excerpts to use for promo, etc. Please come join us!  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ErinNicholas/ Or you can join my newsletter for news (from my website: www.ErinNicholas.com) or follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/ErinNicholas

Dawn - Oh I almost forgot -Do you have any appearances coming up that we might see at?

Erin - I’m going to the Romantic Times Convention in Chicago the second week in April! Really excited to connect with readers and other writers (especially the other four of the Nine Naughty Novelists that will be there: PG Forte, Kelly Jamieson, Meg Benjamin and Kinsey Holley!)

Dawn -RT?? Really me too!!! Woo Hoo! I look forward to seeing you again (and all the other NNN too). 23 days and counting.

Erin - Yay! I’ve got a big hug waiting for you ;)

Dawn -Thank you so much for stopping by Erin! Congratulations on the new release and I look forward to the contest! I do love me some handcuffs ;) I hope we can do this again soon.

Erin - Me too! Hoping to be able to announce a summer and a fall release soon! 

Thank you again Erin for stopping by and for those who don't know about Erin and her books stop by her blog for more info, you will not be disappointed!! Now I'm off to go enter the contest cause a girl can never have too many handcuffs :) 

Website: www.ErinNicholas.com)

Nine Naughty Novelists: http://ninenaughtynovelists.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ErinNicholas

Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ErinNicholas