Guest Author Interview: Tia Dani

Alexis: Hi Tia, Dani. Welcome to Happily Ever After Thoughts.  It’s great to have you both here. My first question has to be about you two writing as one author. How do you decide what your next manuscript will be about?

Tia Dani: Flip a coin. No, seriously we discuss each story line that we have started and see which manuscript speaks to us the most.  It seems that one will always stand out from the others.

Alexis: Now, I just have to ask. Why erotic romance? Have you always written in this sub-genre?

Tia Dani:  Alexis, we’re asked this question all the time. You know how something happens that wasn’t planned?  That’s kinda how writing erotica happened.  After several years of friendship, we decided to put our heads together and write a story just for fun.  At the time we were trying to get our writing jump-started, plus find a way to stick to a schedule and stay motivated to complete and submit a manuscript.  Also, we thought by working together it would be an interesting way to learn all the technology of submitting and editing online.  We don’t know about you, but we’ve always found it more fun when you work with a buddy. Anyway, erotic romance wasn’t our first choice of genre, but on a whim we thought, hey, if we’re going to try something different, and it’s just for fun, then what’s more fun than writing an erotica?  Right?

Alexis: Hmm, I can only think of one thing more fun myself, but I'm not sayin'. Your book Seduction to the Altar sounds very hot. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Tia Dani: We’d love to talk about our book.  This is the back blurb and you are correct, it’s hot.

Maria Tortorici needs a husband.  Her high-school reunion is imminent, and awaiting her is a bet she made long ago.  Bring a husband or face the music.  Determined not to be the victim of her mischievous girlfriends, Maria devises a plan—enchant her younger assistant with a birthday present he’ll never forget.

Sexual attraction isn’t the only thing Edward Russell has for his boss.  She’s everything he wants in a woman.  The hang-up?  How to convince her he’s man enough to handle a strong-minded woman like her.

 

But, will he still want her once he learns of her conniving plan?

Alexis: Uh-oh, I just received an invitation to my (mumble) high school reunion. Now if I go, I'll be wondering about classmates' husbands :-) Where did you get the idea for this story? 

Tia Dani: We had been asked to write a cougar story. So, with the help of our critique partners and several butterscotch martinis…the rest is, as they say, history.  In this case, Seduction to the Altar, was born.  We were then fortunate enough to have Sapphire Blue Publishing offer us a contract.

Alexis: And we are the fortunate ones who get to read it! Since this is a cougar story that means the hero is younger than the heroine. What are your favorite character traits of Maria and Edward?

Tia Dani: Maria is a highly motivated career woman.  We had a lot of fun with her steadfastness about keeping her goals.  Edward’s quiet assurance. He had more going for himself than Maria gave him credit. It was fun letting him turn the table on her.

Alexis: I bet he turned the table on her in more ways than one :-) What can we expect next from you? Do you have any new releases coming or a work in progress?

Tia Dani:  We have another short erotica, Come Fly With Me, that released this week from Sapphire Blue Publishing.  It’s a fun story, and after reading our book you may never look at flight delays in the same way again.

In the works we have a time travel novel that we’re finishing up and a contemporary manuscript in the editing stage. Also, we’ve started plotting a western.  Only time will tell which one we end up submitting first.

Alexis: I think I could use a book that shows a positive side to flight delays. You two have quite a lot on your plate which is great for your readers. Wouldn't want us to starve :-) 

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Tia Dani:  We’d like to make one more comment about team writing before we leave today and that is that writing stories together is more than just being co-authors. There’s no magic formula for team writing, as with any type of business partnership it takes a lot of trust in each other and a strong commitment to the partnership. It’s hard work, but for us, we couldn’t imagine doing it any other way.

Alexis: And your way obviously works. What great stories! Thank you so much for visiting Happily Ever After Thoughts. We really enjoyed learning more about your hot romances :-)

Tia Dani:  It has been our pleasure, Alexis.  Thank you for inviting us.  

Alexis: For a chance to win a unique charm bracelet, handcrafted by Tia Dani especially for our winner, and an electronic copy of Seduction to the Altar, be sure to leave a comment.  Winner(s) will be announced on Wednesday. Check the side column for your name.

For more information on Tia Dani’s Romances go to http://www.tiadani.com/about.html  

To buy Seduction to the Altar go to http://www.sapphirebluepublishing.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=42&products_id=88 

Alexis: Check out this great excerpt from, Seduction to the Altar.

Excerpt:

        "Edward?"

         His name coming from her mouth instead jarred him from his wishful fantasy.  He shifted uncomfortably in the seat.  "Uh, yes?"
         "Did you like the birthday card?"  Her voice was soft, and he swore a blush tinged her cheeks.
         Did he like it?  Hell, he'd read the card three times before he believed what it said.  Tonight all your wishes will be my commands.  Start thinking of what you want.  Happy Birthday.
         She'd signed the card with a simple-Maria.
        He couldn't stop his squirming.  Oh, yeah, he definitely had a few ideas of what he wanted, but he was certain she hadn't given him the card for what he thought it meant.
         He noticed her watching him closely as if she could read his mind.
         Edward swallowed with difficulty.  Maybe she had.
         No time like the present to find out.  He smiled.  "The card was perfect.  It left me thinking of what I want."  He cocked an eyebrow at her and let his smile turn into a mischievous grin.  "Got me thinking.  So much so, I couldn't get a lick of work done all afternoon."
         "Good.  That's what I hoped."  With a throaty laugh, she took a long sip from her glass.  Instantly, her eyes widened as the large gulp of Scotch slid down her throat.  She gasped and let out a raspy wheeze.  "Sorry."  She licked her shiny red lips.  "It sort of went down wrong.  Wow!"
         Though he fixated on her lips, wishing he could have licked them for her, he reached over and patted her gently on the back.  "You okay?"
         "Yes, fine.  Thank you."  She cleared her throat and sat her glass down on the table.  "What were we talking about?"
         "Uh, my birthday card?"  He hoped he didn't sound overly eager.
         "Oh, yes."  She leaned closer and reached for his hand.  "Your birthday card."  Her voice turned throaty.  "I'm curious, did you happen to think of my doing this?"
         Before he could draw in a breath of air, she slid his hand from the table and placed it between her open legs, right where the edge of her dress ended.

Tia Dani Bio-

Tia Dani is the published writing team made up of good friends, KrisTia Eaton and Dani Petrone. Together they create endearing and realistic characters, humorous dialogue, and unusual settings.

Storytelling has been a passion for Tia since childhood when she regularly enthralled the neighborhood children with make-believe fairy tales and wild adventures.

Always the lover of a good romance, Dani’s goal is for you to step into the shoes of her heroine, fall head-over-heels in love with her hero, and most of all believe in the magic of love.

Tia and Dani happily call Arizona home where they play in the sunshine and dance in the twilight of the beautiful Sonoran desert.