Monday, September 24, 2012

Krystal Shannan Interviews - Sara Brookes - Reclaiming the Edge


Please help me welcome Sara Brookes to the blog today with her steamy new release - Reclaiming the Edge!

First, tell us a little about yourself. 

I’m Sara Brookes and I’ve been writing professionally for five years. I’m not someone that sticks to one particular genre or heat level in romance, mostly because I love different aspects of different genres. Be it contemporary, paranormal, futuristic/sci-fi or urban fantasy—if the story and/or characters interest me, I’m going to write the book. For the past three years, it’s been all about the BDSM & erotic romance for me.

Did you always want to be an author? 

When I was younger, yes! But as an adult, no. I wrote a bunch of short, cute stories when I was a young teen. But as a young adult, I was newly married and writing was the last thing on my mind. In fact, there was a long stretch of time in my twenties where I didn’t write at all.

What made you choose to write romance?

I’m a sucker for a love story. Even during high-adrenaline action/adventure movies, I want to see the hero (or heroine) get the girl (or guy) in the end.  

What is your favorite part of being a writer/author?

Creating something from nothing, even if I complain about it. *g* 

Tell us a little about your book. What inspired you to write it?

Reclaiming the Edge will release from Ellora’s Cave on October 5th and I’m so excited to share this piece with readers! The trio were first introduced in Ragged Edge and though I haven’t worked with them in well over a year, they are side characters in another book I was working at the time. They seemed to be very vocal about the story they wanted told that had nothing to do with that book. And the rest, they say, is history!

The sexual journey of Dalton, Cade and Erin begins in Ragged Edge. You won’t want to miss the beginning of their lusty connection!

It isn’t a birthday celebration without a little pain to chase the pleasure—at least according to Dalton and Cade, the two men who stole Erin’s heart. Relationships are complicated and Erin has been retreating—both emotionally and physically—from her lovers. Pushed away for reasons they don’t understand, and determined to erode her resistance, the men devise a wicked plan. They intend to use two very special gifts and one captivating night to reclaim her submission. But Erin’s trip to subspace extracts a heart-wrenching confession that threatens to rip the triad apart forever.

Warning: Contains a well-trained, dirty-talking submissive who succumbs to the commands of her Master, custom nipple clamps, tongue wagging oral sex, a well-deserved punishment with a butt plug, men who share more than a few heart-racing kisses and a custom-made-work-of-art sex chair that shows this M/M/F triad just how powerful their passion for one another is.
And that’s just chapter one.

Reclaiming the Edge
Copyright © SARA BROOKES, 2012
All Rights Reserved,
Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

Erin Corvus rubbed at the tension headache building between her eyes. Tired and cranky after a long day at work, she wanted nothing more than to go home and pull the covers over her head. Most of all, she didn’t want to think. She’d spent so much time being miserable lately, she’d forgotten what it meant to be happy.
Blindly going through the motions of her life had become her modus operandi.
She’d gotten so caught up in a huge project for a client tonight, she’d nearly hit the ceiling when her cell phone vibrated. The text from Dalton had indicated the importance of meeting him and Cade at the shop around ten. Now fifteen past, neither lover was anywhere to be found. As sheriff for their small, sleepy town of Collington Creek, Kincade Roberts was usually a stickler about schedules. Hopefully he wasn’t late because something serious had happened to one of the town’s residents.
She tossed her key on the side table, annoyed she’d driven across town when she could have gone home, taken a shower and curled up in her favorite sweats. Instead she stood in the back room of Dalton Shaw’s motorcycle shop, Iron Cruisers. There were too many memories here she wasn’t interested in remembering. As she wrapped her arms in front of her, she did her best not to look at the bed.
It was so cold and barren—just like her.
Annoyed with the sight of the location that had once been such a place of immense pleasure, she turned. The oddly shaped piece of furniture in front of her gave her pause. It seemed out of place amid the other pieces of Dalton’s bondage equipment tucked against the walls. A shimmering aquamarine fabric draped over the item, the iridescence of the cloth causing it to appear to move and flow even though the air in the room remained still
The shade of blue was the same as her eyes.
Curious now, she stepped closer, brushing her fingers against the surface. Smooth and silky, the fabric under the tips of her fingers triggered a warm feeling low in her belly. She’d worn a flowing dress made of this very same fabric the last time Dalton’s ropes had bound her wrists and ankles. He’d secured her in place to a set of chains that dangled from the ceiling, forcing her to watch while Cade knelt before him to pay loving attention to his cock.
The reminder that the devious torture had lasted for hours caused the warmth to flash to hot, burning through her so swiftly, she gasped. She took a moment to mourn the sensation that had been absent recently. Ever since her life had taken a first-class nose dive into the shitter.
Swallowing the self pity, she clutched at the covering and pulled. The material fell away, slowly revealing the treasure it hid. Interest lost in the fabric, she let it fall to the floor as she stepped forward.
Calling it furniture didn’t do the piece justice.
It was a work of art.
Dalton’s hands had been all over this thing. His craftsmanship and attention to detail was once again impeccable. A solid sheet of brushed metal served as the side support while stunning blue leather curved sensuously in a sweep that resembled the contours of a woman’s body.
She reached out, brushing her hand over the buttery leather cushion that came to her waist. She followed the arc as it dipped off to her right into a deep curve that begged to cradle someone. It swept up again, flowing into a graceful hump no higher than her knee.
The luscious curves seduced the eye as well as the mind.
“I haven’t seen that look in your eyes in a very, very long time.”

Do you plot and outline or do you just write?  Plotter or Pantser?

I’m a hybrid of the two. I can never fully plot a book before I write it, but I can’t fully pants a book either. I usually know the end of the story before I even start it. In fact, one of my books (the award-winning Midnight’s Ghost, a futuristic romance) was written backward. Don’t ask me how, I haven’t been able to duplicate it since.

Can you tell us about the process of getting your first book published?

A lot hard work getting the book into a format I was happy with submitting. Stressing out while waiting to hear back once it was submitted. And a whole lot of determination to not take the rejections to heart. Early on the process, I think that’s the hardest thing. It’s not personal. So don’t take it that way. You just have to dig your heels in. My outlook was to prove all those people wrong.

What advice would you give new authors?  What have you learned about the business?

One of my favorite pieces of advice to pass on is read, read and then read some more. Never stop reading because you’re on the path to publication or you’re already there. 

Do you have another book in the works?

I always have books in the work! I have probably a handful that are all in various stages of the process right at this moment. I just turned in a futuristic erotic romance with some lovely D/s scenes to my editor that I’m waiting to hear her thoughts on. It’s actually the first of a trilogy, so I’m starting to play around with the other two books in the series.

What do you like to do in your free time, besides read and write of course?

I love video games. I’ve had gaming binges before where I’ve spend entire weekends playing. It’s actually a great way to blow off steam if I get stuck on some plot or storyline for a book I’m currently working on. It gets my brain off book related things. Many a plot line complication has been solved while playing video games.

Where do you dream of going on vacation?

I would love to spend a week on a small island in the middle of nowhere where technology isn’t around. No cell phones, no email, no computers, nothing. Ah….bliss.

Boxers or Briefs? On the right man, doesn’t matter!
Cookies or cake? I’m a sucker for chocolate chip cookies.
Pizza or hamburger? Hamburger.
Beer, Wine, or mixed drink? Beer.

(Hero/Heroine Character Questions)
What were your first impressions of each other?

They’re all otherwise indisposed, so I’ll answer for them. *g* All three met in a very unusual circumstance. The boys were celebrating *AHEM* and Erin found herself unable to look away. So, needless to say, she had quite the first impression of them!

What’s your favorite characteristic of each other?

Best if I answer this one too, or rather not. See Dalton has a mouth and he’s not afraid to use it. His flair for specific language has rubbed off on Erin, so they’d both tell you point blank without any kind of censoring. And Cade, well, he just encourages it since he loves to hear it from both of them. So, I’m afraid the answer to this question would degrade very quickly into…vulgar territory.
ROFL!

What are your plans for the near future?  

I’m not sure they know. They all seem to love that “live each day as it comes” mentality. But I can tell you talk of their future together plays very heavily into Reclaiming the Edge. You’ll have to read it to find out! 

Be sure to visit Sara@
Website/Blog: www.sarabrookes.com
Twitter: @Sara_Brookes  http://twitter.com/Sara_Brookes

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