TWILIGHT THURSDAY

Please welcome Cherie De Sues into the moonlight. Cherie is the author of Tales of the Red Moon Clan and To Love a Thief, which releases sometime this year. Releasing this coming Monday, April 12, is Lacy: A Bad Girl’s Revenge. Cherie has a bunch of WIP, so visit her website to learn more about her.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff…the secret revealing interview. LOL Yeah, you know us moonlighters, we don’t ask for blood, sweat and secrets, but we should. ;-) In honor of April 15th being tax day, we’re asking 15 questions this month. So, we hope you enjoy learning about Cherie, a new and upcoming author with a flair for writing.

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GRACEN: Speaking of taxes, are you’re taxes finished, or do you procrastinate with them? Do you do them yourself or do you have a taxman do them for you?

CHERIE: I used to do them myself until the IRS smacked my nose like a bad puppy and found a $1,000 error on my part. I let a tax expert get me through the maze of tax laws now.


GRACEN: As it says, “April showers bring May flowers”. What flowers do you hope to see the first thing in spring?

CHERIE: I'm a white flower girl, jasmine or gardenia bring a smile every time. I adore the fragrances and wear them as perfume.


GRACEN: Do you plant your own garden? Why or why not and where is it (are they) located? What type(s) will it (they) be and where is it (are they) located on your property?

CHERIE: Most of my life I've grown a salsa garden with fresh peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. This year I'll share a garden with other enthusiasts in my condominium complex near the ocean in San Diego.


GRACEN: Do you prefer plants or seeds? Does it matter where you get them, or do you have a favorite place to go? What’s the name of the place and why do you prefer there over other places?

CHERIE: Sometimes seeds, sometimes plants depending on what time of the year I plant. Fresh seeds are important and in San Diego we have a nursery that caters to natural growing gardens.


GRACEN: What will you plant (or have already planted) this year and why?

CHERIE: We've had strange weather with a recent 7.2 earthquake in Mexicali, Mexican close by, floods from heavy rain and revolving hot & cold days. As a group, we hope to plant at the end of April.


GRACEN: Do you have any plants that are must haves for your garden, ones that it just won’t be complete without?

CHERIE: Fresh tomatoes that taste and smell like fruit is a must for me when I make a salad. I plan to plant three varieties and sizes for summer/fall eating.


GRACEN: Now, let’s get to your writing, Cherie…What is your main genre (erotica, erotic romance, romantic suspense, etc.)? What was the draw for you?

CHERIE: Romantic suspense & paranormal. I am drawn to the difficulties of falling in love when your life or the life of someone you care about is in jeopardy. The challenges are exponential for lovers and I really enjoy the ride.


GRACEN: Besides your main genre we just discussed, what elements do you prefer to use in a story and why those elements over others?

CHERIE: I do a great deal of research for each novel, novella or short story. I want the real flavor of danger, the correct verbiage and settings for my characters to come alive. I have traveled a great deal and place my characters in different parts of the U.S. or abroad. I plan to introduce pets now that I have an Irish terrier pup. I am very attached to and believe my readers feel the same way with their own pets.


GRACEN: Do you prefer red roses or black roses? If so, does that show in your writing? If so, how? If roses aren’t your style, what flowers are? Do they influence your writing? If so, how?

CHERIE: I'm a fan of white flowers, like gardenias and jasmine. A single flower means more to me personally than a dozen roses. I do reflect my preferences in novels and Lacy: A Bad Girl's Romance, the novel following Lacy: A Bad Girl's Revenge coming out next week reflects the same feelings.


GRACEN: The jury’s still out on this question, so we’re still asking it! - Who decides what you write about, you or your muse? What kind of influence do you have over your story, or is the muse always the one planting the seeds? How do you cultivate those seeds regardless of who plants them?

CHERIE: My muse and I have an understanding. She sits out the editing process and thinks about my next projects as I do the mundane. My muse helps me understand my characters by encouraging me to let go of the reins and experience life through the eyes of my hero and heroine.


GRACEN: In your opinion, what author had the most influence on your writing? What about their writing did you find so influential and why?

CHERIE: I have read every genre and feel that my writing is influenced by style over any one author. I appreciate the cadence of Nora Roberts novels, the tension in Dean Koontz novels and the depth of Stephen King novels. Put them in a bowl, mix furiously and you'll find my style.


GRACEN: While authors can definitely influence us, inspiration can be everywhere for a writer, but specific people, places and events can inspire certain characters, personality traits or things that happen in our stories. In your current story that we’re promoting here today, Lacy: A Bad Girl's Revenge, did any one particular person, place or event inspire you? If so who/what was it (were they), how did it/they inspire you and how is this inspiration reflected in your story?

CHERIE: I have family in Boston and can trace my roots back to Ireland. Lacy is an enforcer for the Irish Mob in Boston and hunts down the last of her father's murderers. A relative that shall remain anonymous had "dealings" with the Irish Mob and shared them with me. Lacy is a compile of individuals I've met during my life, she's a functioning sociopath with a great education and beauty. A deadly combination that opens doors for her and she takes advantage of every part of her skills.


GRACEN: Without giving away anything pertinent to the story, tell us about the hero and heroine (s) of your story. What do they look like? How do they meet (or “did” if this is a second book with these same characters)? What are their personalities – Are they comical cut-ups, are they serious or are they a mix of the two? Please give us a little bit of dialogue from the story that can illustrate this. (Not much, but just a few lines and from a different section than the main excerpt – Thanks!)

CHERIE: Dr. Josh Davenport, is tall, muscular and has mocha eyes and a bright smile. Lacy Hennessey is a fair blonde with blue eyes and legs that go all the way up. When Josh and Lacy meet at the Colorado ski resort, sparks fly for both of them. Josh eagerly invites Lacy to sleep at his place without realizing he will be used as an alibi.

"Hello again. Miss me?" Lacy trailed her nails across his jaw. "Please, let me buy you dinner in the restaurant down the hall. Have you eaten this evening?"

Josh shook his head. "No, just canapés and I like the steaks here."

"Then shall we go?" Lacy stood back for him to rise.

Feeling like a puppet on the strings of a woman with a purpose, Josh rose and followed her. His eyes floated to her butt while she swayed toward one of the darkest booths in the restaurant. Lacy slid along the burgundy leather to the middle and he slipped in beside her. Her hand went to his thigh and Josh went rock hard at the expression in her icy blue eyes.

"You're using me, Lacy." Josh wanted the bullshit up front, no lies between them. If Lacy wanted a bed to sleep in and a man to fuck, she'd come to the right place; only he had a nauseating feeling she was playing for far higher stakes and he didn't want to be collateral damage.

"Smart, sexy and my physical type." Her hand went between his thighs and squeezed his groin. "I plan to work you hard tonight, but you'll wake in the morning with fond memories of me."


GRACEN: The main characters are usually great, but sometimes, secondary and tertiary characters are known to steal the scenes. Who are the secondary/tertiary characters in your story and what do they look like? What’s unique about them? What is their relationship to the hero/heroine? Have any of these gone on to become scene-stealers? If so, who and how did they do it? (Again, please give us a small bit of dialogue to illustrate this – thanks!)

CHERIE: There are moments during this short story that a pivotal and the secondary characters shine.

"Hey, do you want another?" A curly, bleached mop of a woman leaned down to take the shot glass.

"Not yet. Do you know Tanner, Bunny?" The nametag said Bunny, but the forty-something woman resembled road kill. Lacy pulled out a twenty and lifted a brow. "The man gave me the clap."

The woman grinned with crooked teeth, snatched the money and shook her head. "Damn, that man gets more sex than he has a right. Saw him last night, but he hasn't come in again since Beaver punched him for steppin' on his new boots."

"Know where he'd be this evening?" Lacy forced a laugh at the server's story, wishing Beaver had hit him harder.

"Try the Lakeside Hotel and bar on Eighth Street, yesterday Tanner bragged he had a meeting for a big job." She winked at Lacy. "Slap him twice, honey, Tanner gave me the same crap last spring."

BLURB:

Lacy Hennessey is hunting the last man linked to an ambush that led to her father's death. As an heir to her father's role as the enforcer for the Irish Mob in Boston, Lacy is armed and dangerous when she arrives in a small Colorado resort.

Dr. Josh Davenport missed his flight for a little R & R after an avalanche blocks the road. At the Hotel bar, Lacy easily manipulates Josh into offering her a place to sleep for the night. But Josh is aware Lacy isn't just another gorgeous blonde in a red dress with legs that go all the way up.

Lacy enjoys Josh's company and his bed, but business in business when she leaves his arms to face the man who killed her father. And if Josh makes any more connections about her real identity, Lacy may have to add him to her list.


EXCERPT:

Curvy, blonde and gorgeous slinked into the bar, as Josh took in class with a capital C. With heels, she looked liked an Amazon—tall, athletic and with a narrow waist. The gods had sent this woman to him; somehow, he'd done something right in his life and she was his reward. Blue eyes, creamy skin and a red dress that made his heart skip beats. He followed her every sinuous move until she chose a chair up against the back wall and glanced around the room.

The woman searched for someone and Josh hoped like hell that would be him. Seconds later, their eyes met and her warm smile struck a match to his groin. He slid off the barstool with his drink and headed in her direction.

As he neared, the goddess lifted her eyes once more to his and a chill ran along his spine. He hadn't felt anything like that since his residency under Dr. Spellman. The man had been a predator with all new doctors. Josh shook off the bad memories.

"I'm Josh Davenport, may I sit with you?"

Red lips parted with a high-wattage smile against straight white teeth. "Please."
Josh let his body relax in the leatherback chair and set his drink on the low, round table between them.

"Would you like a drink?"

"A glass of Cabernet would be great."

He smiled and turned, giving a couple of hand signals to Kenny then turned back. A small frown marred a perfect face, but she didn't ask how he'd done his famous trick. Disappointed, he rubbed his jaw; she had an uncanny way of making him feel uncomfortable when she didn't react as he expected. This woman bore scrutiny, both mental and physical he decided as he subconsciously licked his teeth for any leftover canapé.

"What's your name?"

She took a deep breath and the low cut bodice of her snug dress swelled then shrank with the exhalation. The cleavage of her breasts beckoned and he forced himself to stay connected with her deep blue eyes. She hadn't blinked and neither had he.

"Lacy." She licked her lips provocatively and crossed her long legs.

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Cherie's website: http://www.cheriedesues2.com/
Cherie's Publisher: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=102