Words of Wisdom....from The Scarf Princess: Book Tour for Cupid Rocks by Francesca Hawley (Author Interview)

Who knew paranormal creatures dealt with the same family issues as mere humans. In Cupid Rocks two werewolves meet, mate, and have to deal with bringing their family's together with the world of rock n roll as their backdrop. Today you get to learn more about Francesca and her new release, along with the chance to win some great goodies....including a Kindle Fire!

Hi everyone - Francesca Hawley here!

On December 21st, my shapeshifter erotic romance Leader of the Pack (link to:http://www.ellorascave.com/leader-of-the-pack.html ) was released and now, another shapeshifter romance is on the way. Cupid Rocks (link to: http://www.ellorascave.com/cupid-rocks.html ) is a Valentine's Day themed story featuring a guitar god and the chick who digs him.

Joe Blackwolf was inspired by Joe Perry. Hot. Talented. With the looks and sex appeal to drive women wild. Especially when he starts to play that guitar. But Joe...MY Joe...views himself as a bit of a screw up. He comes from a family of classical musicians and his father, in particular, looks down on rock music. Joe has always wanted to please his father, but he went his own way and followed his heart and soul by playing rock music.

Mandy Goldwolf grew up in The Pack, her parents' rock band. It's a regional band with a strong following but they aren't Aerosmith. They don't play stadiums, they play bars and small festivals.The Pack, and its members, love to perform and the crowds love them right back. Mandy used to perform with the band, but had a traumatic experience when she was much younger. Forgettingthe words during a competition caused her to freeze on stage and since then, she's had morbid stage fright.

Joe and Mandy meet when The Pack comes to Whitewolf, Colorado to play a gig and the sparks fly. What follows is a celebration of birthdays, Valentine's Day, and two disparate families trying to get along. The course for true love - and True Mates - doesn't run smoothly but Joe and Mandy know that as long as they have each other, the world and their lives are better.

TSP: Knowing what you do now about the publishing business, would you have done anything differently?
FH: No, I don't think so. I was really honored when Rida Allen's small publishing company, Draumr published my first short story. It gave me the courage to think I could really do this. And when I had the opportunity to pitch to Raelene Gorlinsky at the 2007 RWA conference, the world really opened up for me. My membership in RWA (Romance Writers of America) was also great because I found like minded people and friendly support. Who I was and what I did then, made me who I am today and I like me...mostly. :-)

TSP: What does your writing space look like and do you surround yourself with any particularly inspirational items?
FH: Well, I just moved for a new job recently, so my space is full of unopened boxes right now. Normally, I'm in a space that has all my research books on book shelves and I like that. I also really love having a window in my writing space. I love the light and being able to look outside sometimes makes me feel good. I've had some of the writing awards I've won on some shelves nearby and that was always inspirational. The one thing I haven't done, which I'd like to do is put up images of my covers on the wall. Seeing where you've been is inspirations for helping you chart your future course.
TSP: The majority of your books are erotic in nature, what draws you to that genre?
FH: Freedom. I can explore how my characters fall in love without any constraints. If they talk dirty to one another, no problem. If they're kinky, hey, it's all good. Also, erotic romance includes all the subgenres of romance out there: paranormal, contemporary, and historical. There are no boundaries for my imagination and I like that.
TSP: Beyond its synopsis, what do you want us to know about Cupid Rocks?
FH: That I love Joe. I love Mandy. And I love them together. And I adore their parents. Mandy's parents, Eddie and Carly are fun and crazy rockers while Joe's parents, Leopold and Maria are the quintessential classical couple. Yet both are quirky and at times threatened to take over the story. I'm debating writing short stories that show how those two couples met. I think it might be fun.
TSP: Rockstar heroes seem to be popular (and I personally can't get enough of them), why do readers seem to love them so much?
FH: I think rockers have that hint of the bad boy that readers love to see conquered by the heroine. I know as a reader, I like it when a rock musician avoids the temptations of life on the road and does not succumb to booze, drugs and sex or if they have experienced it, they rise above their troubled past. It's that happy ending that romance readers love.
TSP: Which of your books would you like to see made into a movie and who would play the main couple?
FH: I think I'd really like Seeking Truth made into a movie. I love the medieval time period and love the costumes, the horses and the sword play. As to who would play Eaduin and Vérité - that's tough. I think Eric Bana (The Other Boleyn Sister) would make an excellent Eaduin. He can do brooding pretty well yet he can also be sensitive and sexy. I think if Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva) went red, she'd be great. Pretty yet able to be sweet, loving and strong.
TSP: Of all the heroes you've written, who's the most heroic in your opinion?
FH: I know you're not supposed to have a favorite, but I do. It's like being asked if you have a favorite child. But Baron Eaduin Kempe is my favorite hero. I don't know if he's necessarily THE most heroic. I think that honor may go to Lt. Diarmid Redwolf. Anyone that can survive the murder of his family and still be able to fall in love is pretty darn heroic. But Eaduin overcame years of abuse from his father and older sister and didn't become a monster. He became a caring, loving father figure to his younger siblings and a good husband and father to his daughter. He's pretty heroic too.
TSP: How has the digital revolution affected your career and how you market yourself? Do you have an eReader yourself?
FH: I knew the first thing I needed was a good web site and Rae Monet (www.raemonet.com) provided that for me. I love her design. I've been trying to build a presence with social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and Pinterest. And yes, I have an eReader. I have a Nook and an iPad. I may purchase a Kindle too but right now I'm happy with the two I have - and with an iPad I can read epub or Kindle formats as long as I use the right app. I love that.
TSP: My site's all about favorite things, so what are your favorite things/the things you can't live without?
FH: My cats - Snow and Cab. Chocolate. Hot guys. Sexy heroes and the plus-size heroines meant just for them.

When her parents’ rock band The Pack performs at Zach’s bar, Mandy discovers her True Mate, Joe Blackwolf, the band’s lead singer and guitarist. All she has to do now is convince Joe that she told a little white lie to make her mom happy, her father that rock musicians aren’t all alike, and her new mate’s family that rockers aren’t all that different from classical musicians.

Joe Blackwolf is celebrating his fortieth birthday. And what he wishes for when he blows out the candles is to find his True Mate. He succeeds when he meets Mandy Goldwolf. Problem is…she belongs to someone else. Finding out the truth leaves him free to explore every inch of her smokin’ hot curves, but now Joe and Mandy are neck deep in overbearing relatives and everyone is in for a rockin’ Valentine’s Day.

EXCERPT:

“Am I dead, Angel? Cause you look like you’re straight from heaven!”

“That has to be the worst line I’ve ever heard,” Mandy laughed, looking up into warm brown eyes. She shivered as he settled into the chair beside her.

“Maybe, but it made you laugh.” He took her hand. “Can I buy you a drink?”

Joe waved over a waiter and ordered for them without once releasing her hand. She could feel the rough calluses guitar playing had created on his fingers, but they turned her on. He turned her on.

This was Joe? “Good ole Joe” as Eddie called him. He was neither good nor old. No. He was gorgeous…and talented. Zach wasn’t kidding when he’d said this Blackwolf was a great guitarist and singer. For the first time since Carly bugged her, she wished with all her might she hadn’t lied about Zach being her mate. Zach might be handsome, but Joe made her throb in places that hadn’t throbbed in all of her thirty-five years.

“So what’s with the camera, Angel? Fan or reporter?”

Mandy looked down at her fingers clenched around her camera strap. If she told him who she was, he’d back off so fast she’d see skid marks on the floor. Just this once, she wanted to pretend she was someone else. Just tonight. She leaned forward pressing her lips against his ear.

“I’m more than a fan. I’m a groupie. Can’t you tell?” He shuddered, turning his head he met her gaze. The fire glowing in his eyes set her boiling. Yes. She had to have him. Now.

“A groupie? For just any rock musician?”

“No, Joe. I want you.”

“Fuck, yeah,” he growled, standing so abruptly his chair toppled over. No one nearby noticed as he dragged her to her feet. “Where?”

Mandy looked over toward the hallway leading to Zach’s office and smiled. They had a clear path. She pulled him after her and they ducked into the shadowy space. He pressed her to the wall and took her mouth in a deep kiss. Their mouths meshed together. Joe pulled back to nip at her lips, then ran his tongue along the inside edge of her lower lip. She caught his long dark hair in her fingers, holding his mouth to hers.

Fire. Heat. She’d never felt anything like this in her entire life. She moaned as his mouth slid to nuzzle her neck. Mandy wrapped her free arm around him, clutching his leather jacket. She lifted her right leg along his hip. He stepped into the opening she’d created, thrusting his hips against hers.

She shivered as his rough fingers slid along her leg and under her skirt. He slipped his fingers under her panties and cupped her ass. Grasping her, he pulled her more firmly against his hard cock. He reached up to her peasant top, untying the drawstring to bare her bra covered breast. His hot breath teased her neck and then his warm tongue grazed her skin as he licked his way over her curves

“Hey. Anyone seen Joe?” Mandy and Joe froze as she heard Eddie’s voice. He was close. Too close. She looked out of the entrance of the hall. She didn’t see him, but he was right there. She knew it. Mandy closed her eyes, fighting to keep her panting excitement from giving them away.

“I think I saw him with a hot chick earlier. I didn’t get a good look at her though. Just noticed she was his type.” Tom responded with a laugh.

Joe groaned in her ear, and kissed her cheek. She turned to look up at him. He was still on fire, she could see it but there was a definite question in his dark eyes? Stop or go?

She lowered her leg and he sighed, then she smiled and grabbed his hand. “This way,” she whispered.

Mandy knew there was an empty unlocked office back here and she wanted this wolf and she wanted him now. He chuckled as they moved into the darkness. She found the door on the right and turned the knob. Hearing the click, she pushed, wincing at the creak when the door stuck. He pushed her through and they shut the door behind them. Mandy flipped the light switch, blinking a bit to adjust to the table lamps that came on. She’d been expecting an overhead. They looked at each other and grinned.

Joe pulled her over to the empty desk and she climbed up onto it. He stroked her cheek. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. I don’t want to stop. Not now.”

AUTHOR INFO:

Hi. I’m Francesca Hawley and I’m a fat chick. A woman with dangerous curves just like my heroines.

Many people don’t like the word, “fat” but I do because it’s the truth and I’ve learned to own it. I am a fat chick and I always will be. Even if my fairy godmother popped in right at this moment and waved her wand to make me a size 2, I know that mentally and emotionally I’d still be a fat chick. So why is this relevant? Well, my size has had a major influence on how I see the world and how I write.

I first began to read romance when I was in my teens. I loved the genre, but the heroines were all thin. Their thighs didn’t rub together…had never rubbed together…and frankly I had trouble relating to these ladies. The stories were great—full of emotion and well told, but the heroines weren’t like me and that was a major disappointment. I kept wondering where were the fat heroines? I found some occasionally, but to have their Happily Ever After they usually had to lose weight and go from ugly duckling to swan.

Well, I wanted a fat heroine who loved herself—or at least learned to love herself—and a hot alpha hero who liked her jiggly bits just the way they were. Since I didn’t find many big girls to read about, I decided to write about them myself. After all, I loved to write anyway and had been writing almost as long as I’d been reading, so Francesca Hawley – author of Romance with Dangerous Curves was born.

In a Francesca Hawley romance, my readers will find authentic, sensual, fat heroines who love and are loved by their intense, passionate, and seductive Alpha heroes. I hope you enjoy their dangerous curves just as much as their hunky heroes do.