TWILIGHT THURSDAY

Carrie Lofty's Scoundrel's Kiss in the Moonlight

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Please help me welcome Carrie Lofty into the moonlight today! On January 5, 2010, Carrie’s newest book, Scoundrel’s Kiss, will be released by Kensington Zebra. Her first book, What a Scoundrel Wants, was released in 2008 by Kensington Zebra as well. To learn more about Carrie, enjoy a free read, or get craft advice, visit Carrie at her website: http://www.carrielofty.com/

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GM: Do you make resolutions for the New Year? Why or why not? If so, please share one or more of them with us!

CL: I think human beings need moments in time such a New Year's or the start of a new school year to take stock. Time can get away from us! Making resolutions seems a natural way of doing that. We can stop for a moment and wonder, what have I accomplished? What do I still want to do? So yes, I make resolutions. This year many have to do with my career--more like a big honkin' to-do list!--but I'd also like to drop a few pounds. Sorry I'm not too original there!


GM: Now that the busy holiday time is over, what do you do to recharge?

CL: I'll admit that it was difficult to balance the holiday thing, the "mom with kids at home" thing, and the "launching a book" thing! Now that much of that pressure has eased, I'm happy to be back at work. Routine does my family wonders and makes my job easier!


GM: Do you have any holiday memories from 2009 that you would like to share with us?

CL: Most of them involved being sick, but we survived. Almost all of my family succumbed to a pretty nasty chest cough. So that's no good! But at least we were all together, having traveled to northern Indiana for the holiday, and the house was full to bursting with good food and drink. If you have to be sick, that's the way to do it!


GM: What area of the country/world are you from? What are the average temperatures where you are? What type of clothing would most residents be wearing today? What tips do you have for people to “survive” the weather where you are?

CL: I was born in California, but I grew up in the Midwest: Indiana, Ohio and now, Wisconsin. My husband is from England, where I also lived for a year. We live very near Lake Michigan, and this year the winter has been very kind to us. I keep waiting for the really big snow, like last year, but it hasn't happened! Worst case, we live in a condo with maintenance men to clear away the snow, so I can never complain too much…


GM: Do you have any favorite outside hobbies? Can you perform any of these hobbies right now? If not, why not, and is weather a factor?

CL: Outside hobbies… Hmm, I suppose people have those ;)

Most of my hobbies are more for the housebound set: reading, writing, movies. But in the summer, here so near to Lake Michigan, it's an absolute delight to take walks. The weather now makes that a little prohibitive, because if there's anything worse than winter winds, it's the winter winds that scream off of a lake!


GM: Do you prefer your hot tub inside the house or outside the house? Why?

CL: I'd prefer inside. The shock of having to get out in the cold would mean I'd never leave! Me + total prune skin = not pretty.

GM: If you could be any character/creature, who/what would it be and why?

CL: One of my absolute favorite characters of the last few years has been Rose Tyler from the British sci-fi television show "Doctor Who." She's not the smartest, not the prettiest, not the most perfect--but she managed to completely steal the Doctor's heart and prove herself clever and capable in every instance. I had such sympathy and admiration for her, and for the woman who played her, Billie Piper. She's been off the show for some time, but that combination of resilience and an open heart has stayed with me. She's the sort of girl you want to know and be friends with, which made her so appealing.

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GM: Now, that we've learned a little about you as a person, let’s learn a little about your writing. Why the sexy historical romance genre? What was the draw for you?

CL: I'm a recovering historian, having abandoned academia shortly after earning my master's in history. The facts and even the stories in history just weren't enough for me. I'm compelled by the SNAP that happens when two people meet and fill one another's needs. Finding how a pair of characters fit together is the mystery that compels me from one story to the next. So the combination of history and romance came naturally to me.


GM: If you could describe your writing with a word or phrase, what would it be? Please look beyond words like hot, sexy, etc., and delve into the core of your writing to tell us what word or phrase you want readers to take with them when they've finished reading your story.

CL: I'll use two, which my critique partners bestowed on me: Angsty Redemption. I love pathos and drama and thick, lush emotions--so that's where the angst comes in. But I'm also fascinated by imperfect characters who find their way to redemption, and therefore to a more perfect happily ever after. I think that most humans are imperfect and struggling for something more, so that search is the key to my writing.


GM: Do the holidays disrupt your writing schedule? If so, how tough is it to get yourself back in writing mode and what have you found that seems to help?

CL: My daughters are in school six hours a day, so just having them back to their regular school schedule is such a boon. Throwing in the release of SCOUNDREL'S KISS this week means I won't start writing again until next week. Just the opportunity to sit down and create once again will be motivation enough. I've had a lot of time off, having just finished two manuscripts in Nov/Dec, so the lure of beginning a new project is a strong one!


GM: Do you prefer hot chocolate with marshmallows or a hot toddy? Does that show through in your writing? If so, how?

CL: Hot chocolate! Although with the resolution to lose a few pounds, I'm trying to cut down. And now that the holidays are done, I've put the hot toddies away. Next year, though…


GM: Who decides what characters/creatures you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one pouring the soap in the Jacuzzi?

CL: I do! My muse is (mostly) obedient. She'll mess with the works on occasion, though. For example, a secondary character in SCOUNDREL'S KISS, Fernán Garza, started out a complete buffoon. But it turned out that he had a very intriguing backstory and would go to great lengths to keep a particular secret. I certainly didn't start out thinking of that! So yes, she still messes with me once in a while. I like to think that I come up with the rational ideas, and she gives them that interesting sparkle that I hadn't initially planned. It keeps me interested too!

GM: What creature/character did you have the most fun creating and why?

CL: Again, the surprise was Fernán. He really threatened to steal the show. Perhaps I took comfort in his buffoonery because the hero and heroine were so full of drama and angst! A little comedic remedy to liven up the intense love story.


GM: If you had the opportunity to meet just one of your characters in real life, who would it be and why? Which of your characters would you never want to meet under any circumstance and why?

CL: I wouldn't want to meet the Sheriff of Nottingham from WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS. Nasty piece of work, him. But I'd most certainly want to meet my heroes. Don't make me choose because they'll get jealous. Just to see such men in the flesh and get to know them would be, well, a wonderful piece of fiction ;)

SCOUNDREL’S KISS BLURB:

In the sequel to WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS, Meg of Keyworth's troubled sister Ada travels to the Kingdom of Castile.

When it comes to temptation...

Turning his back on his old life as a rogue, Gavriel de Marqueda has joined a monastic order in Spain and taken a vow of chastity. Before he becomes a monk, he must pass one final test: help a woman who has lost her way. But when he lays eyes on Ada of Keyworth, he is tempted beyond measure by her sultry beauty and dangerous curves...

Rules are meant to be broken...

Far from her home in England, Ada has been battling inner demons for more than a year. When she discovers that her only friend has abandoned her, she has no choice but to grudgingly accept Gavriel's help. But Ada is not fooled. Though Gavriel wears the robes of a monk, Ada sees that he is a virile man who looks at her with a hunger that matches her own--one that begs to be satisfied again and again....

SCOUNDREL’S KISS EXCERPT:

Gavriel brushed his mouth along the curve of her shoulder. She shuddered but did not pull away. The moist heat of his breath raised goose bumps on her skin and reflected back against his face. He waited, glorying in that intimate caress, knowing he would take her if he tasted her.

"Order me to go," he rasped.

Ada looked over her shoulder. He let his eyes fall down the line of her brow and her cheeks and her chin. "I won't do that," she said.

"Why not?" The need to touch her again burned like hell's fires. "No respectable woman behaves as you do."

"We both know I left respectable behind some time ago."

"Then you do this as a game or as punishment.”

"You're mistaken if you believe this involves you alone." She spoke with less deliberation and more speed. "Perhaps I do this simply to see what I'll do next. I hardly know who I am anymore. It makes me wonder."

He reached out to trace the line of her shoulder blade but pulled back. "Wonder what?"

"Am I the kind of woman to seduce you outright, or will I wait for you? Either way, you've become a most welcome distraction."

"Ada, don't--"

"You think you've cured me because I no longer shake or cry," she said. "But in that you're mistaken. The need is still here. Right here." She clenched one hand over the other and pressed it to the hollow between her breasts. "It's like thirst or hunger or lust. A need. Can you understand that?"

He could only nod, a weak one at that. A delicious and wanton angel stood before him, his own parable of temptation. The redness of the hot spring had faded, leaving the smoothest white porcelain skin--a feast for his eyes. But he wanted more. No matter his aims or his vows, he was a man who needed more.

"I can understand," he said thickly.

"Then help me, Gavriel. Give me something new to crave."