TANTALIZING TUESDAY

Please welcome Sandra Sookoo into the moonlight today. Some of you may remember Sandra, as she guest blogged with us on January 28th to promote her book, Safe From the Flames. Here’s the link for those that missed her guest blog or want to refresh their memory: http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2010/01/twilight-thursday_28.html

Now, Sandra is excited to be back and promote her newest release, Demons and Stilettos are a Girl’s Best Friend. Personally, I love this title and just the title makes me think it’s chocked full of mayhem and fun!

To learn more about Sandra and her books, visit her website at: http://www.sandrasookoo.com/

So, let’s get down to business asking Sandra the hard questions…LOL

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GRACEN: May 5th marks a unique voluntarily celebrated holiday recognizing the Mexican efforts against the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1962 under General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin. This battle is legendary because since that time, not one country in the Americas has been invaded by another continent. Do you and/or your friends celebrate this holiday? Why or why not? If so, how do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

SANDRA: I’ve never celebrated this holiday. It means absolutely nothing to me.


GRACEN: Mother’s Day has become as commercialized as other holidays, but, as far as I can tell, no one seems to mind. Some mothers prefer flowers, some a nice meal, while others prefer gifts like time alone. If you are a mother or wish you were one, what would be your ultimate gift on Mother’s Day? Do (would) you prefer your gifts bought or handmade?

SANDRA: I’m not a mom and don’t really want kids at this time. I usually buy my mom something that will last longer than flowers or a meal.


GRACEN: With the situation in the Middle East, more and more people feel the need to demonstrate their support for the troops. Are you among them? Why or why not? If so, what do you, or have you done to show your support? (If you’re not, that’s okay!) Will you be doing anything special on Armed Forces Day?

SANDRA: I try not to get involved in anything have to do with the military situation. There are so many opinions on this matter and no matter what I’d say, I would end up making someone mad LOL


GRACEN: Many people make a point to care for the graves of loved ones on Memorial Day, or have parties and picnics to celebrate them. What about you? What, if any, Memorial Day traditions do you have?

SANDRA: I don’t really do anything on Memorial Day except spend time with my husband. My family is too disjointed and scattered to do anything with.

GRACEN: There are several games on Facebook (and maybe other social networking sites) that advertise about turning your image into a cartoon avatar, and these next questions find their roots there, but character has been substituted for avatar.

If you wrote yourself as a character, who would you be if someone other than yourself? Would you have the same name, physical attributes, anatomy or would everything change? What would your name be and what would your character-self look like? Would you be the heroine or the hero? Why?

SANDRA: I’d probably be the heroine. A kick-butt woman who doesn’t take crap from anyone. Maybe I’d be blonde. And slim. And wear stiletto boots with a dagger strapped to my thigh LOL As for names, let’s see. Meg Kincaid.


GRACEN: What about your personality and traits? What would you change and what would you keep? What new traits would you give your character-self and why those traits?

SANDRA: Maybe she’d volunteer at an animal shelter or work with the homeless. Maybe she’d cook. Who knows?


GRACEN: When would you exist? Would you go back in time, stay in the present, or jump into the future? What time period would you pick and why?

SANDRA: I’d probably stick to the present.


GRACEN: What type of story would it be (other than historical, contemporary or futuristic)?

SANDRA: Some sort of action story with plenty of foot chases and fast cars and hunky guys


GRACEN: We’ve had our fun now, so let’s put the focus on your writing, Sandra…What is your main genre (erotica, erotic romance, romantic suspense, etc.)? What was the draw for you?

SANDRA: My main genre is romance. I’m most comfortable writing in the paranormal, historical and contemporary sub-genres, it just depends on my mood. The main draw of romance is the promise of a HEA. Starting off with compelling characters, throwing a whole bunch of problems at them and seeing how they work together to get out of them is the big payoff for me.


GRACEN: Besides your main genre we just discussed, what elements do you prefer to use in a story and why those elements over others? Any elements you would never use? Why or why not?

SANDRA: When I started out writing romance, I kept all my stories “sweet”. Now that I’m more comfortable in my own skin as a writer, I’m kicking my stories up several notches to “spicy”. I like seeing how my characters interact after the “big event” in the bedroom and how it strengthens and helps their relationship. Elements that I won’t use? I have no idea at this point. Writing is a constantly growing process.


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

SANDRA: I enjoy many different authors in many different genres, so to narrow it down to just one author would be like asking me which of my fingers I could do without. It can’t be done LOL


GRACEN: While authors and stories can definitely influence us, inspiration can be everywhere for a writer, but sometimes 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, DEMONS AND STILETTOS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND, 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?

SANDRA: Well, my hero rides a motorcycle, so the inspiration for that part of the story came from my dad. He’s a big Harley enthusiast so I asked him a lot of questions about the bike. What else inspired this story? Of all things, I was listening to the soundtrack to Disney’s Lilo and Stitch and there’s an Elvis song on there “Devil in Disguise”. It talks about the Devil being disguised by an Angel. From that song, this book was born.


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 not the first 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!)

SANDRA: Oh wow. My heroine, Anne Jenkins, is an ordinary, blonde-haired gal who lives with her gramma. She’s very sarcastic. My hero, nicely built, fit with black hair, Gregg Carter, rides the aforementioned bike and is an IRS agent, not to mention a demon. They first meet as Anne is riding a runaway horse and Gregg saves her life—with heavy consequences. Both are comical and the interaction between them even made me laugh at times.

Example excerpt:

“What the hell are you talking about?” As her common sense trickled back, she narrowed her eyes. He didn’t look like a vagrant, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t crazy.

“Actually, you’re not far from the mark. I know every zip code of Hell on an intimate basis.” He stuck out a hand. “The name’s Carter. Gregg Carter.”

“Dude, you’re so not an international super spy.” No matter how hard she attempted to contain the chuckle, it escaped anyway.

“I never claimed I was.” He cleared his throat. “Now, how about we get down to business before that twittering horde of what you call friends descends upon us in hysterical female fashion.”


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!)

SANDRA: LOL Oh, my secondary character is…well a character! She’s Anne’s Gramma Dottie and she looks like your typical grandmother type but she’s still sharp as a tack.

Example excerpt:

Gregg transferred his attention to the older woman sitting in a wooden rocking chair.

“I may be almost ninety, but I’m still in charge in my own home. You can’t stay in the house.” She tilted her half-moon reading glass down her nose. “There’s a guest room over the garage. Haven’t used it in months, so I can’t vouch for the shape it’s in. Rent’s eighty bucks a week, cash. You buy your own groceries.” Faded hazel eyes pierced through his chest as if she wielded a sword. “No smoking. No drinking. No parties. No funny business with my granddaughter. I know what you are, and I won’t stand for you corrupting Anne.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Gregg sat then shifted on the plastic-covered sofa, wincing when the leather of his pants created a crude sound.




BLURB:

Anne Jenkins never believed there was a heaven or hell but when she’s rescued from a runaway horse by a guy who claims he’s a demon, her freak detector goes off. She demands proof and the leather-clad biker sets some local wildlife on fire. She starts to trust in a hurry.

Gregg Carter, bound to the Devil for all eternity because of an audit gone wrong, seizes the opportunity to take possession of Anne’s soul as a way to please his boss. What he didn’t count on was the fact that his libido would take the one-way bus to crazy town as he gets to know her better.

Trouble is, Anne and Gregg spend so much time trying to hide their true selves from each other, they can’t escape the attraction that builds between them. But everyone knows demons and humans don’t mix, and neither can two people who have no futures.

EXCERPT:

Anne glanced around, looking for hidden cameras just in case her friends were attempting to punk her. Seeing nothing but red and gold leaves that shook in the slight breeze, she turned back to the biker. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“You bet. Now, I need you to sign here testifying that I did indeed save your life and prevented the early termination of such. Because I did, the payment for my deed is one human soul, to be rendered due and payable within thirty days of the receipt of said services.” He held the pen out to her. “I do have other clients today.”

“I can’t just give you my soul. I don’t even know exactly where in my body it’s located or how a person goes about parting with it.” She took another drink. “Besides, don’t I need my soul in order to function? I’m pretty sure it’s not like an appendix or something.” Flutters filled her stomach when the smile he’d flashed earlier morphed into something smoldering and sexy.

“A human soul is only valuable if you know how to use it. To sweeten the pot, I’m prepared to give you three wishes.”

Anne snorted while she took another drink. Water shot through her nose, and tears stung her eyes. Not exactly the sort of thing that would impress a bike-riding minion from hell—not that she wanted to impress him. Damn, I must be desperate if I’m trying to catch the interest of an alleged demon.

Wiping the drops from her face with the back of her hand, she stifled another round of laughter. “Three wishes, huh? Like a magic genie?”

“No, it’s an added bonus, an incentive. Think of it as a supplement to the contract in order to cushion the blow of my taking your soul. You have thirty days to accept the offer, but be aware there are some conditions.”

“Is saving me from impending death one of the wishes?” The whole conversation felt so weird and beyond normal that Anne suddenly knew how Alice felt in the Lewis Carroll story.

“No, but at least you’re paying attention.” A smile curved his lips. “You can use the wishes on yourself or others, but they must be used in the time allowed. You can’t save them. Also, until you exhaust the wishes or they expire at the end of the specified term, I will be your constant companion—”

“I thought you had other clients?”

He huffed his disapproval. “I have a very loose schedule. Anyway, if you do not use the wishes by the end of the thirty day period, you forfeit them, and I still take your soul.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair.” Anne frowned. Fear made her insides clench. “What if I don’t agree to any of it? I mean,” she snorted from the absurdity of the notion, “it really is pretty unbelievable.”

A shadow of annoyance crossed Gregg’s face, and his expression grew dark with anger. “It doesn’t matter. I saved your life. Therefore, you owe me. I can reset recent events and leave you to die, or I can take your soul, and you’ll still die, but at least you will have lived it up for thirty days. What’s not to get?”

Remember, to purchase Sandra’s new book or any of her others, visit her website: http://www.sandrasookoo.com/