Monday 7 December 2015

Author Interview

This month’s author being interviewed is the lovely Lily Harlem that I first met at Eroticon in the UK. I had only been an author for a few months at that stage and here was a ‘proper’ author whose books I had read! (I had something of a fan girl moment! LOL). Over to you, Lily…


Hi Jenifer, thanks for inviting me over today for a grilling! For those of you who don’t know me I’m an author of erotic romance and I live in the UK. I write for HarperCollins, Totally Bound, Pride Publishing, Evernight Publishing, Xcite and Sweetmeats Press, I also self-publish.

Since leaving a career in nursing ten years ago I’ve immersed myself in my imagination – read ‘dirty’ imagination! – and I have over 70 published works, 30 of which are novels. I write MF, MM, MFM, MMF and every other combination of pairings you can think of.

I also co-author with Natalie Dae under the name Harlem Dae which is enormous fun and we tend to work with characters that push the boundaries and enjoy harder BDSM.

I write it hot, sexy and real. My books have hit the #1 spot on Amazon and been named USA Today Recommended Reads. One thing you can be sure of, whatever story of mine you pick up is you’ll have to hang on for the ride, or rides as the case might be!


About You

What’s the strangest (bravest, funniest etc) thing you’ve ever done?

I recently met the Lord Mayor of London (not Boris, he’s the Mayor of London, there’s a difference) at a posh function Mr H took me to. He was wearing a magnificent jeweled neckpiece that is not only ancient but also priceless. It looked very heavy and while we were chatting about it I asked if I could ‘hold his jewels’. With a twinkle in his eye he told me to go ahead, so of course I did. Mr H said afterwards that he can’t take me anywhere LOL
(hahahahahahaha! Love it!)


Your Writing

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest publication is a novella in the Over the Knee anthology which is a happy spanking collection of BDSM stories that are sure to get you squirming on your seat.


My story, Spicing it Up, deals with the Victorian kink of ‘ginger figging’. To indulge in this kink it is necessary to have a fresh piece of ginger root shaped like a butt plug… you see where I’m going with this? The story is sexy, full of anticipation and ends up sizzling from the pages.



More details on the publishers website https://www.totallybound.com/book/over-the-knee

Buy Spicing it Up as a single read - https://www.totallybound.com/book/spicing-it-up



What makes a great hero?

A hero who is kind - kindness is one of the most important things in life. Also one who makes mistakes, has a sense of humour, understand what his woman/man’s unique needs are and won’t let anything stand in the way of his passion and love.

I like heroes, and heroines, who break the mold, who are a bit different in terms of their jobs or their situations, even their decisions, but they all have the same values, the same need to be the best person they can be and also willing to give others and themselves a second chance when things don’t work out as planned.


Is there any trivia about your latest/forthcoming story that you can share with us.

I have a new novel called Rule Breaker. In this story the heroine is a prison nurse. I used a lot of my nursing knowledge when writing about her at work (she falls for an inmate who just happens to be one of the sexiest bad ass heroes I’ve ever written – phew!) but it took a phone call to a nurse friend who I trained with, who is now working in a prison, to get a few fine details finalized.



(wow!)


What are you currently working on, or what’s on the horizon?

Today I’ve been promoting a new MMF novel called Muscling In. This is with a new publisher for me, Evernight, and it’s always fun getting to know a new editor, getting new cover art and meeting new readers. On this cover I particularly like the brooding guy in the background it’s exactly how I imagined special forces hard man Edward Moorhouse to look. Damn, he’s hot and when he takes a shine to Sian’s husband – who also happens to be an ex of his – things get down and dirty, naked and sweaty, really quickly!



Quick Fire round

Tall skinny or short but muscular?

Short and muscular every time

Hawaii or Norway?

Norway, it’s closer.

Turquoise or mauve?

Turquoise, I just bought a turquoise handbag for the winter!

A juicy grilled steak with garlic butter or vanilla & raspberry cheesecake with white chocolate?

The steak, I like my meat!

Historical or sci-fi movie?

Historical. I run a mile when sci-fi comes on, it makes me shudder!

George Clooney or Brad Pitt?

Both!

Flogging or paddling?

Mmm, can I have both on this one too?

Bouquet of roses of bunch of wild flowers?

Roses, Mr H often buys me them, though more frequently I get lillies as they’re, not surprisingly, my favourite.


Finally

Links of how fans can find you on the internet/buy your books?



Author Pages





And here is an excerpt from Muscling in:


“Where is your husband? You forget to bring him?” A cheeky smirk crossed Ed’s face.
“He’s just catching up with Harold about something, business stuff, you know.”
“Oh, what’s he do for a living, then?”
“Cyber security, Middle East is his speciality.”
Ed’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Sounds interesting.”
“It keeps him very busy.”
A noise in the hall caught my attention and I turned. The click of shoes on the floor grew louder. Coben appeared in the doorway.
He stopped and scanned the room. His gaze settled briefly on me, then flicked to Ed.
His mouth slackened for a second before squeezing into a straight line. He kept his attention firmly on the man at my side.
Harold stepped past him and up to the drinks cabinet. “Coben, old fellow, what are you drinking?”
Coben said nothing. It was as if he’d been rooted to the floor. His eyes flashed and his hands curled into fists.
What the hell is the matter with him?
“Coben? Drink?” Harold repeated.
“Er…Scotch.” His voice was hoarse. “Please. If you have one.” He pushed his shoulders down and tilted his chin. He looked a little paler than he had earlier.
“Coben,” I said, hoping he wasn’t coming down with something. “Come and meet Harold and Mable’s godson. Ed Moorland.”
Coben accepted the drink Harold passed him and took a large gulp. He walked up to me.
I reached for his hand. His fingers were cool, his palm a little clammy. Perhaps the talk with Harold hadn’t gone according to plan.
Still he stared at Ed.
Ed stared right on back.
“Funny thing is…” I started, trying to fill in a weird silence that had descended and wondering why the air felt like it had an electric current running through it. “I actually met Ed today. What a coincidence, eh?”
“You met him?” Coben dragged his attention from Ed to me. “What? How?” He narrowed his eyes.
Why is he being so rude?
“He came into Dragon’s Ink. He was a client.” I tried to keep the irritation out of my tone. “I added a bird to his half-leg tat.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ed held out his hand to Coben. His voice was tense.
Coben took it, shook very briefly, then shoved his hand into his trouser pocket. “She tattooed you?” He paused. “My wife.”
“Yes. Your wife.” Ed knocked back the last of his drink. He swept his tongue over his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes. “She’s very good.”
“I know.” Coben mimicked Ed by finishing his freshly poured Scotch in one go. He shifted forward and back as though wondering whether to sit or not—or maybe leave the room.
“I’ll be back in a moment.” Harold raised a large glass of red into the air. “Best just check the boss is okay in the kitchen.”
“Sure.” I smiled his way. It was a false smile because something was going on. I had no idea what but I’d never seen Coben so twitchy.
“Ed is in the military,” I said, tucking my loose strands of hair behind my ears.
“Oh yeah?” Coben tilted his chin.
“Yep.” Ed turned away and headed to the drinks cabinet. “Don’t ask me about it, though.”
“He can’t tell you,” I said. “It’s top secret.”
Coben kind of grunted.
I poked him in the ribs. “What’s the matter?” I mouthed, frowning.
“Nothing.” He clenched his jaw and a tendon jumped in his cheek.
Ed poured himself another drink. As he turned back to us, Mable appeared. “Ah, here you all are,” she said, holding out her hands. She came up to me and kissed my cheek. “Sian, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I smiled. “So do you.”
“Coben, thank you so much for coming this evening.” She angled her face toward him.
“My pleasure.” He politely touched his lips to her cheek.
I glanced at Ed. He was staring at Coben. Two lines plowed across his forehead and he was breathing deep, his shirt tightening over his broad chest.
I’d never known Coben to be anything other than perfectly polite and controlled when we’d been out, so this reaction to Ed was weird. But it seemed Coben had a strange effect on Ed too—I just didn’t understand what.



Thanks for taking part, Lily. Lovely talking to you.

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