The Romance Reviews

The Romance Reviews

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Meet Carlene Love Flores - And a Very Special Surprise!

Join me in welcoming Author Carlene Love Flores. One of Evernight Publishing rising stars. I got her to answer a few of my questions.  So grab your coffee and join me as we get to know a little about this gifted wordsmith Carlene Love Flores.
 

Do you do anything to get you into the zone to write?  Absolutely!  Darkening the room is a must.  This often includes building a blanket hut big enough to fit me and my laptop ;) 

 

 Which authors inspire your writing?  I don’t write paranormal but my favorite author is Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I fell in love with the way she writes tragedy and redemption right away. 

 

What is your favorite book, character and why?  This might be shocking…haha…favorite book is by Sherrilyn Kenyon—Seize the Night from her Dark-Hunter series, also the first romance novel I ever read.  Everyone hates Valerius Magnus until Tabitha humanizes him.  I like how the characters teach as about assumptions and how they’re not usually any good.  J

 

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet? 
 
Hmm, maybe somewhere in between.  I’m too dark to be sweet but not quite at the level of my beloved erotic writer friends.  Now I’m thinking of chocolate chips, semi-sweet, semi-dark.  They’re both tasty, right?  How about we say I prefer to write “yummy”.  J

 I myself am very partial to semi-sweet.

Which famous person, living or dead, are you drawn to? 
 
Oooo, I’d have to say Martin L. Gore.  He’s the main songwriter for Depeche Mode.  They’re known for music that’s darker but if you ask Martin, he’ll say he feels his songs are filled with hope.  I love that.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years? 
 
Oh boy, I’ll be the mom of a sixteen year old at that point.  Who in the heck knows what my world will be like then!  Advice anyone?

 Boy, been there, done that, but mine was a step-daughter. My advice? Duck and cover. You give them the tools now it's time to watch them you what you taught them. It's rewarding a lot of the time and you will see your influence shine through.

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when:
 
 I touch at least one person with a story.

 

What advice would you give aspiring writers? 
 
Learn your craft but don’t get caught up and overwhelmed in the technicalities.  Write a story from your heart.  Absolutely write from your heart.  Fall in love with your characters, let them love the wrong way, fall apart if they have to. Then be there for them when they need re-building.  And join your local writers group! 

 

What do you see yourself writing in the future? 
 
More edgy, intimate love stories.

 

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why? 
 
People might not believe one would need a superpower for this, but let me tell you, taming and understanding my curly hair would be pretty awesome. 

 Boy, don't I know it. I think I have whole states missing in my curly hair. Lol!

What time of the day are you at your best to write? 
 
I’m a huge early to bed girl but my favorite time to write is the dead of night.  Go figure. J

 

 

And now for something completely different…

 

 

What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile? 
 
Hmm, well normally I’d say smile and eyes but ever since Survivor started featuring long-haired contestants a few years back, (Remember Matt who was stuck on Redemption Island the entire season??) I’m now fascinated by that wavy haired, “not sure if you’re a surfer, tarzan, country boy” type.   And it must not be just me because every season now, they have a new version of Matt.  J  Yay!

I'm a major Survivor fan and I totally agree. I loved Matt and love that type of hunky man. Eye candy every Wednesday night!

Explain your perfect day. 
 
The neighborhood cat stops by for an early morning treat on the front porch.  She’s a great day-starter.  And then the best ending, singing my kiddo to sleep each night.  All the stuff in between is what I make of it.  J

 

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to? 
 
Let’s just get one thing straight up front, I’m generally saying yes to anything labeled dessert.  I mean, I would literally drive cross country for a not-quite-thawed-chocolate-chip-cookie from the Carl’s Jr. drive-thru. 

 

Do you have a favorite holiday what is it and what makes it special to you? 
 
I love Christmas for all the normal reasons people love Christmas but also because it brings us out of our houses at night to see all the magic the lights bring.

 

What key words describe you best? Beachy.  Silly.  Loving.  Lucky.

I loved getting to know a little bit about you. Thanks so much for sharing with everyone. Now for the special surprise I mentioned.
Carlene is giving away her e-book A Sidewalk Flower
 


To enter to win just answer this in the comment section: What would you drive cross country for?
Carlene will announce the winner Sunday night, 1/27.
 


Blurb:
In Sidewalk Flower, a jaded young woman sets out on an intense road trip home to deal with her past when she is asked to allow a relative stranger to tag along.
But, she’s seen too many good guys succumb to the harsh realities of her supposed privileged life in the music business and intends on keeping her distance.
When she picks up Lucky, the southern gentleman cousin of her selfish best friend, she has absolutely no idea of how to accept a perfectly good person with good intentions.  Home has never looked so good, or felt so far away.
 
Excerpt:
Her two insistent hands pressed against the back of his neck like she was forcing him to do this.  It was cute.  Yeah, she was dead wrong.  He’d wanted to kiss her since he’d first seen her, hopping down out of that girly silver Jeep.  But he knew better.  Earning something you wanted took more than a few hours.  And if he’d gathered anything from her hot and cold responses so far, it was that Jaxon’s vague but deliberate warning that he take good care of her hadn’t been just puffed up, ego talk. 
     This girl was in trouble.
     He should have stepped away for both their sakes.  He knew he didn’t deserve this kind of kiss, not yet.  But California was glued to him on full speed and didn’t appear to have a pause, let alone a rewind button.  On second thought, he’d let her get this out of her system and then they’d start over. 
Her hand had to be killing her, so he managed to pull it down and keep it tucked at her side.  But the other one was petting those hairs at the back of his neck, leaving him seconds away from coming undone.  If he clenched his jaw any tighter, those painful yet ticklish sensations shooting throughout his upper body would without a doubt get him into trouble down below.  Heck, if he squeezed her in his arms like he wanted to, she’d feel how aroused he’d let himself get.  He worked his jaw to ease away from the pain, wishing he could let go entirely and enjoy her touch. Yep, their fresh start was gonna have to wait until she was done proving her point.  Cute girl though.
 
* * *
 
His lips were soft and salty like he’d worked up a sweat at some point during the day.  Crap, again she cursed his damn tempting bloodline.  This would only complicate their pending trip even more.  So naturally, when he smartly pulled her one hand away, she found a sweet spot of baby hairs with the other and went for more.  Her rules—that was the only way to play with the boys and stay safe. 
Lucky’s hands eventually cupped the sides of her face, which was fine because she had made her point.
“Are we okay?” he asked.
Well, hell if she knew.  “Yes,” she said.  They could figure the truth out later.  There would be an endless amount of open road ahead of them come Sunday to think.  Tonight was desperate Friday.  “We’re good.”  But she hesitated because he looked for a moment like he may have regretted things. When he coughed and cleared his throat, she was sure of it. 
“Come on, Miss ‘We’re Good’,” he said, as he urged her the rest of the way to the back door.  “I’d like to keep that promise I made Jaxon.  You could go a little easier on me from here on out.”  
The inside of her mouth remained warm from their kiss as she swallowed a cool breath of air.  The contrasting temperatures left her with a chill and a memory—the taste of the last kiss she’d had.  Cigarettes and beer.  No hand holding.  No talking.  No first, second or third date.  As badly as her sour heart warned her to throw Lucky in with that lot, she just couldn’t do it.  He’d already taken more care of her than any other guy she’d known. 
“You shouldn’t take things so personally.”  At his wince, she splintered and added, “I know you didn’t sign up for this; I’ll try to be…better.”  No promises though.
“Okay.”  He hesitated, and shifted on the steps.  “Ready to go inside?”
“No, you should go in though.  I need to be alone.”  A tingle traveled around her wounded hand and she made the mistake of squeezing it into a fist.   
Lucky dipped his head then and ran his hand up along the back of his neck, rubbing it in his obvious confusion.  “Trista. I’m kind of at a loss here.  You’re obviously in pain.  Just come inside and let me help you.”
She tried to warn him, hoping he’d listen.  “Lucky, you’re a nice guy.  Okay, I get it.  You want to help, but I didn’t ask for that and you have no idea what you’d be signing up for anyway.  Assholes can barely handle my world; a good guy like you doesn’t stand a chance.  Jaxon had no right doing this.”
“Hmmm.”  He scratched at his sideburn.  “You don’t know what I can and can’t handle.”  He looked down but she had caught his every word. 
 
Contact Links (website, blog, Twitter, Facebook):
Twitter: @cloveflores
Facebook: Carlene Love Flores
 
Book buy links:

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