Setting an erotic romance
Today is release day for The
Best Man! I’m beyond excited – almost numb, actually. This is the first
release for the new indie imprint my husband and I are launching, B&B
Publishing.
Bad boy meets bad girl. Is there anything more?
The Best Man
B&B Publishing,
June, 2013: e-book
ISBN 978-0-9894693-0-2,
ASIN B00D2YEZXE
Erotic Romance Novel, 56,000 words
Cover by Dawné Dominique
Heat Rating Four Flames: Explicit sex: M/F; ménage:
M/F/M; multiple partners; sex toys; anal sex; light bondage.
BLURB
Passionate, hard working and every inch a business woman,
Chicago realtor Kitty Paige likes her sex raw and edgy, and sees no reason to
limit herself to just one man. Never married and not quite forty, the striking
blonde has successfully raised her daughter, Susan, and is already pushing her
new-found freedom to the limits.
Wealthy commodities middle-man and race horse owner Jared
Jacobs is father of the best man at Susan’s wedding. He is smitten by the
vision in yellow who exudes sex as she escorts her daughter down the aisle.
Also single, the handsome mustached California ranch owner with mischievous
eyes views his sex life as a series of splendid love affairs, and sets out to
make Kitty next on the list.
Together and apart, their chemistry is explosive, and their
sparkling repartee and steamy sex catch both partners by surprise. Jared is
first to recognize he’s fallen in love. When Kitty panics, can Jared finesse
his every move and reel her in?
SETTING AN EROTIC ROMANCE
Have you ever thought about how the geographical setting influences
the story in erotic romance? This is certainly true in our new indie release, The Best Man, available now at Amazon.com.
I thought it might be fun to share some of the story behind the setting.
Hubs and I, who co-author Erotic Romance for Two, Three or More under our pen name, Adriana
Kraft, are longtime horse racing fans and have owned race horses in the past.
Ours were what you’d call low-end horses, who ran at minor tracks and might
have competed in a stakes race or two, but never anything near Triple Crown
quality, several echelons above us. Those high levels are for the very wealthy
– most often, people who’ve earned their wealth through something other than
horse racing, and own horses for the sheer joy of it.
Enter our hero, Jared Jacobs. We placed him outside San
Diego, California, for a reason. We’ve spent two weeks in a Ramona-area time
share a couple different winters. One of those years, we took the beautiful
drive east, up into the foothills, and sampled the historical community of
Julian. There is a very famous and large horse ranch tucked away just off the
highway that leads to Julian.
We filed that memory away (and wished we could have toured
the farm), and when we needed just the right hero for Kitty Paige, it suddenly
was the solution. We’ve given it to Jared, who earns his wealth in commodities,
but loves his horses. Our choice of setting drove his avocation – which, it
turns out, provides the perfect cover for him to re-connect with Kitty, after
their disastrous first encounter.
Chicago for Kitty’s home? Less of a stretch, and probably
more predictable. It’s where hubs and I met, married, and spent the first
several years of our married life. We know and love Chicago from the inside,
visit there when we can, and often set stories there or close by.
Kitty’s definitely a kick-ass heroine, so she needed an
occupation that would go with her personality, one where her talents, her looks
and her hard-nosed determination would shine. The solution? She’s both a
high-end real estate agent and a contractor who builds and restores high-end
homes. As with horse racing, these are occupations we’ve been close to, at a
much lower end than Kitty’s, of course. A while back we briefly joined forces
with our son, a general contractor, in an investment business to buy, rehab and
sell houses. Our venture didn’t last long—there were too many sharks swimming
in the water, and we weren’t willing to play by shark rules. Writing erotic
romance is phenomenally more satisfying and less of a challenge to our moral
principles. But we learned enough to be able to anchor Kitty’s occupation in
reality—and, it turns out, she’s not afraid to be a shark, when she needs to.
EXCERPT
Here’s a little taste of Kitty and Jared’s first encounter:
“May I
have this dance, Ms. Paige?”
Trying to
look appropriately surprised, Kitty peered into dark brown eyes that sparkled.
He clearly knew she wasn’t surprised.
“Of
course,” she said, rising to her feet.
She let him guide her to the small dance
floor. She moved into his arms, trying not to react to his warm smile. He was
accustomed to holding a woman. He held her close comfortably, resting a hand on
the rise of her rump. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage,” she said,
eyeing him levelly. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
“Jared
Jacobs.”
“Friend
of the groom, or the bride? I’m afraid since Susan moved out here, I don’t know
most of her friends.”
“I’ve
been a friend of Brad’s family for years. I’ve met Susan several times. You’ve
done a fine job raising your daughter, Ms. Paige.”
“Thank
you. Do call me Kitty. Ms. Paige makes me sound too motherly. So do you live in
Seattle ?”
“Nope.
I’m a fan of the sun. I work out of San
Diego .”
“That
should be sunny enough. You say work out
of. Don’t you live there, too?”
“You’re
not only a beautiful woman and a lovely dancer, you’re a good listener.”
The music
stopped for more toasts by the best man.
“And
you’re a bullshit artist.” She laughed at his scowl. “I’m not easily
charmed—unless I want to be. So you haven’t answered my question.”
“I’m a
businessman. I have several interests,” Jared said, handing her a glass of
champagne. “I’m a middle man for various overseas companies seeking buyers in
this country—copper, steel, aluminum. Most anything, really.”
“So you
travel a lot.”
“Maybe
that’s why it feels like I work out of San
Diego rather than live there. I understand you’re a
successful business woman yourself.”
She
shrugged her shoulders. “That’s a matter of opinion. There’s always room for
improvement.”
“I also
travel some to follow my horses.”
“Horses?”
“Race
horses. Do you ever get out to Arlington
Park ?”
“Of
course. It’s such a beautiful place.” She’d heard the catch in his voice when
he mentioned the horses. She understood the awe those majestic animals could
inspire. “I’ve been to the Derby
a couple times.”
“Ah, so
you have more than passing interests in the addictive beasts.” He gave her a
broad smile, took her hand and guided her back to the dance floor.
“Doesn’t
every girl dream about horses?”
“Most
girls give up their childhood fantasies as reality smacks them in the faces.”
He leaned away from her as they swayed to the music. “Somehow, I don’t think
you do.”
She
grinned. “Maybe I should’ve, but I’m too stubborn for my own good. Someday I’m
going to own a racehorse. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Maybe
you haven’t found the right partner?”
She saw
his eyes teasing before she rested her head on his shoulder. “Maybe I’ve been
too busy to look.” She’d add racehorses to her to do list as soon as she got back to Chicago . She had plenty of contacts. She
might not have given up on her childhood fantasy, but she’d nearly forgotten
it. She smiled into Jared’s suit coat. Maybe her daughter’s wedding would
rekindle a dream.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a
husband/wife team writing Erotic Romance
for Two, Three or More. The award-winning pair has published over thirty
erotic romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews. Long and Short Reviews: “scorching
hot…refreshing...something to read when you want straight up hotness.” Romance
Junkies: “filled with warmth, blazing hot sex, well-developed
characters…not for the faint of heart.” Romantic pairings include straight
m/f, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and
paranormal settings.
Find Adriana on the web:
Adriana’s Author Pages:
Thanks so much for having me as your guest today, Ella. we can't wait to hear how readers like our bad girl and her bad boy hero!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hanging out with me ;)
DeleteGAH ADRI!! BE NICE TO WEAR ON MY ALASKAN CRUISE ON THE 6TH! GOTTA TAKE SOME OF YOUR HOT READS.
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