Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Interview + Giveaway: Ember Casey about the His Wicked Games Series





 
Title: Sweet Victory

Author: Ember Casey

Release date: November 19th, 2013

Genre:  Erotic Romance / Steamy Contemporary Romance

Tour: Irresistible Reads Book Tours


Book Description:
A His Wicked Games novella coming November 19th, 2013.

One night. One game. One wicked experience they’ll never forget…
It’s Lily and Calder’s first night in their new apartment—and Calder proposes a steamy showdown that’s certain to leave both of them breathless. In a challenge like this, things are sure to get heated—but neither of them can be prepared for the surprises that await them as their ultimate game unfolds…

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18485216-sweet-victory?ac=1


Interview

1 - Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Not to be too cliché, but yes—though the “romance” part of the equation came as a bit of a surprise. I have notebooks upon notebooks of stories I started as a kid (“started” being the operative word here), but almost every single one involved magic. And usually princesses. And many times a monster or two. I wanted to write fantasy books. I used to read novels by Tamora Pierce and Robin Mckinley as a teenager and I wanted to write things just like them (with added princesses, of course).


2 - What inspired you to write His Wicked Games?
I thought I wanted to write Young Adult fantasy books. A couple of years ago I joined a critique group and started workshopping a novel based on a fairy tale that was basically a Scottish version of Beauty and the Beast. I was going for something romantic (in the literary sense) and mythical and sensual, but apparently I took the “sensual” part too seriously. I’d be describing the sky or something and my critique partners would say, “Um… this is coming across a little too adult.” I still have no idea how I managed to make a paragraph about clouds and sunlight sexual, but apparently it’s a secret gift.

Anyway, I was working on that novel for National Novel Writing Month and kept getting stuck. First it was the voice, then the characters, then the plot… nothing seemed to be working. A couple of my writing buddies had been working on romance books, and I always thought that it sounded like a fun genre to write. On a whim, I decided to put aside the fairy tale novel and devote the rest of the month to working on a romance story instead. In the end, I didn’t end up straying too far from the “Beauty and the Beast” theme—I just took out all the magic and swapped out the Beast for a sexy billionaire. And, voila! His Wicked Games was born.

I never thought I’d end up writing contemporary romance, but I had such a blast writing that book that I was hooked. I haven’t looked back since.


3- Do you have a favorite scene from your books?
It’s hard to pick just one! But if you’re forcing me… I really, really love the gallery scene from the first book, His Wicked Games (based on emails, readers seem to adore this one, too—with the secret passageway scene coming in a close second). Of course, my “favorites” seem to constantly shift based on whatever project I’m working on. When I’m deep in the drafting stage of a new book and discovering a story for the first time, it’s hard not to fall in love with it!


4- What's next for you?
I’m working on a spin-off series called Her Wicked Heart (the first book will be released in early 2014). It picks up a couple of months after the end of Sweet Victory and follows a new set of main characters (though several of the old favorites will make special appearances…). It also returns to a few notable locations from the earlier books.

It was a little weird at first to switch gears—I’ve spent so much time with Lily and Calder that I feel like I knew them and their dynamic inside and out—but there’s something incredibly exciting about writing and discovering new characters for the first time. I’m really thrilled about this new series, and I think it captures the same essence as the His Wicked Games books without being a retread of the same story. And as for the main love interest this time around… *sighs*  He’s very different from Calder—more of a rough-around-the-edges, bad boy type, and he’s definitely extra fun to write. ;)


5- Is there something you would like your fans to know?
I’m still in that phase where I’m still a little shocked that I have fans! Haha. I think one of the biggest surprises about this entire process for me was the realization that my work doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Yes, I assumed (well, hoped) that people would read my books and have opinions on them, but I never thought that readers had such power to shape and change my process and how I view these stories. I’ve realized that the creative process behind a work is only half of it; the true identity of a book is not just what I put into it, but what readers get out of it. Sometimes those things line up and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes readers experience something completely different than what I intended—and I love that. Not to get all cheesy, but it makes the story feel more alive, like it’s taken on a shape and life outside of my head, beyond my own control. I’m always very curious to see how readers respond to my work.


About the Author:

Ember Casey is a twenty-something writer who lives in Atlanta, Georgia in a den of iniquity (or so she likes to tell people). When she's not writing steamy romances, you can find her whipping up baked goods (usually of the chocolate variety), traveling (her bucket list is infinite), or generally causing trouble (because somebody has to do it).




Social Links:
Official Website - http://embercasey.blogspot.pt/p/aboutcontact.html?zx=69c2c3a26b4b676
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/EmberCasey
Twitter – https://twitter.com/EmberCasey



Tour Giveaway:

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Blitz Schedule

Particiapting Blogs: http://bit.ly/1gxe3a2



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