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.
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.
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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