Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

by Olivia Cunning It's no secret that I write erotic romance, heavy on the erotic. One of my goals is to get my couple into bed quickly. This is made easier by the fact that my heroes are gorgeous and talented rock stars in a band called Sinners. My heroes have no problem finding a willing bed mate. Or three. The challenge is finding them love after lust and making the reader believe that they are going to make their relationship work despite the groupies throwing themselves at them night after night. Typically, in a romance book (though there is so much variety these days, that the old standard isn't necessarily true any more), the sexual tension is high, but no one acts on it for a long while. The couple makes moon eyes at each other for pages, they accidentally touch (and almost swoon) and eventually smooch (weak in the knees...) and if they're really into each other, they might do some petting (spontaneous combustion!). Then somewhere after the halfway point they...

by Olivia Cunning I could talk about the hot weather, but that would be boring. So I'll try to come up with a more exciting hot topic. I could discuss this hot guy here on my left (I wish he was on my left), but I don't know him, so what can I say, other than I think he's hot. I will admit that he is the inspiration for a new rock star character of mine. Maybe his ink doesn't do it for you, but it definitely does it for me. RAWR! And those abs/pecs/guns... And the fact that I can't see his face clearly... And those jeans he "forgot" to fasten...  And those narrow hips... And... Oh my! Yep, hot. I could talk about all the "hottest sex scene" awards that Backstage Pass won from bloggers last year (*cough* 13 of them *cough*), but someone might misconstrue that as bragging and I'm a humble Midwestern gal. We don't brag. We "mention". I could write about the lovely Reader's Crown Awards I picked up in sweltering hot...

by Olivia Cunning “I had fun talking to you. Thanks for indulging me.” Myrna picked up her laptop case and left the lounge, the eyes of every man in the room following the gentle sway of her hips. “And thank you for en-bulging me,” Sed muttered. Had to share that bit of dialogue from my book, Backstage Pass . Because our theme is indulgence, those few lines run through my head every time I have visited the Casablanca Authors' blog this month. I hope by posting it there, it will finally leave my brain alone. It's driving me nuts! The same thing happens when I get a song stuck in my head. The only way for me to get a song out of an infinite loop is to sing it at the top of my lungs for days (which makes dogs cry), find a less offensive song to set on repeat in my gray matter, or post a video of it on my blog in a feature I call "One Track Mind". I've been trying to think of ways I indulge myself. Most involve food. Not healthy or flattering to the figure, but tempo...

by Olivia Cunning If you don't know this already, I write erotic romance. Very explicit, erotic romances about rock stars. My first kiss scenes tend to happen very early in the book. This one, between lead guitarist Brian Sinclair and human sexuality professor Myrna Evans, happens on page 21 of Backstage Pass . And by page 29, they.. well... Did I mention I write very explicit, rock star erotic romances with frequent, inventive sex scenes? Anyway... Brian and Myrna's First Kiss Brian turned Myrna to face him and pressed her up against the door with his body. She gasped in surprise just before his mouth claimed hers in a passionate kiss. She wrenched her head to the side, breathing hard. "What are you doing?" "Kissing you." "I never kiss on the first date." "This is our second date." She hesitated, her expression thoughtful. "Good point." Her fingers slid up his back and tangled in the longish hair at his nape....

by Olivia Cunning Figuring out where a story begins can be one of the most difficult things for a writer.  If you start too early, you end up with a bunch of back story that has no bearing on the plot.  If you start too late, your readers might not feel connected to your characters before you throw those characters in front of the proverbial tour bus.  If readers don't care about your characters, they might stop reading. Finding that perfect spot to begin your novel can be a challenge. Starting Backstage Pass was relatively easy. It starts a few minutes before the hero, lead guitarist Brian Sinclair, and the heroine, human sexuality professor Myrna Evans, meet for the first time. Here's a little parody I made of their meeting. No, it's not REALLY  this silly when they meet. This is what happens when I'm trapped in all-day meetings at work. I find ways to amuse myself. If you'd like to read the real first chapter, which is still funny, but not "dumb" ...

by Olivia Cunning While I love a happy ending as much as the next romance author, I can’t help but wonder what the ending of Backstage Pass would be like if it were of a different genre. To experience guitarist Brian Sinclair's happily ever after ending, you’ll have to read the book, but here are a couple alternate endings that might have been, if Backstage Pass were not a smokin’ hot erotic romance. If Backstage Pass was a spaghetti Western...      Six-string slung over his back, Brian strode down the dusty road toward the center of town. The sound of his footsteps echoed off the clapboard store fronts. It was ten minutes to high noon and the town lay as silent as a broken amplifier. Even the saloon seemed unoccupied. On closer inspection, Brian noticed Sinners’ groupies peeking out at him through windows and lining the alleyways. He’d put off signing autographs until later.      A tall, lithe figure loomed at the end of the lane, blocking Brian’s p...

It's finally here! Get your all access Backstage Pass to one incredibly hot, fictional rock band. Sinners are on tour and want to take you for a wild ride. So grab a copy (or two) and get ready to rock. This is my first published novel, evah , and I'll be honest, I'm a bit overwhelmed with the various emotions I'm experiencing over it's launch. Excitement. Disbelief. Pride. Happiness. And a heap of worry. What if readers hate it? What if I'm the only woman on the planet who thinks musicians are sexy by default? Maybe I'm the only one who returns from rock concerts dehydrated from all the sweating and, yes, drooling I've been doing for hours. I do love my rock stars. I had no idea what to expect or what the response would be to this book. Each time a new review pops up, my heart does this little stutter thing and I almost don't want to read it. All my anxiety is for naught. Reviewers like it. Love it! Especially fans of contemporary, erotic romance (...

When I take in my surroundings, the thing I see in the greatest abundance is books. No, I don't see that pile of laundry or those dirty dishes. Some people have selective hearing. I have selective vision. I have books overflowing from my bookshelves, stacked in the corner of my bedroom, on my bedside table, on the coffee table, and stored in huge boxes in the basement for when I need to replenish my supply upstairs. BOOKS, BOOKS, EVERYWHERE BOOKS!! Some of these might look familiar to some of you. I have a book in my purse, my desk, my car, and the bathroom cupboard. They're tucked away all over the place! I tend to read four or five novels at a time and I have no plans to decrease my bookly abundance. I just keep adding to it. I DO plan to read every last one of them. I love books. The weight of them, the look of them, the smell of the paper. Their multi-colored covers all lined up on a shelf. I have always loved books and hope I'm never without them in my life. And don...

by Olivia Cunning As a reader, my favorite books feature highly developed characters who somehow evolve or change through the course of the novel. Coming of age stories? Love them! That is why, when I exchange my reader’s hat for my writer’s one, I believe developing my character arcs is of utmost importance. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is important, too—some highly successful authors focus solely on plot and their heroine in book one is the exact same heroine in book seventy-three (yawn!)—but if a main character does not change in some way, she doesn’t feel real to me. I want to read about characters who are so real, I feel like I could give them a call and ask, “What’s up? Did you ever get those bullet holes in your refrigerator door patched?” Let’s face it, when shitake happens in real life, people change. If someone breaks into your house and shoots up your refrigerator, you are going to change. Probably permanently. You might fear leftover meatloaf for the rest of your life. Ever...

By Greek definition, music is any art presided over by one of the nine Muses. It’s fitting that my muse is amused by music. Specifically, hard, fast, loud, electric-guitar-enriched, drum-thumping, bass-groovin’, singer-screaming music. Rock music throws my muse all in a tizzy and she gets a little wild and crazy on the page. (You can thank me later.) If you take her to a concert, she has weeks of inspiration to fuel her insatiable need to create. I guess that’s not too surprising. I do write rock star erotic romances, after all. A lot of authors need total silence when they write. Sometimes I do, too. Especially when I need to concentrate on something that just isn’t clicking right. But if I want to channel the story, the chaotic sound of rock music in the background puts me in my zone and the words come pouring out. I’m not exactly listening to the music. I couldn't tell you what song was filtering through my head at any given moment. It’s mostly there to block out other things th...

If you think July is hot, just wait until October… This fall, Sourcebooks cranks up the heat. On October 1st, Sourcebooks will release its first erotic romance title and I’m so happy I could play air guitar! In public. I know, I know, you can’t take me anywhere. The first in a series of five, my debut novel, Backstage Pass , features the lead guitarist of the rock band, Sinners. Romantic, sensual, and talented in many, many ways (sigh…. I envy his lucky heroine, Myrna), Brian Sinclair is hot enough to cause soaring temperatures all by himself, but he’s currently on tour with his four yummilicious band mates who add a sweltering mix of personalities and, erm, talents . *cough Publication is obviously a huge milestone in any author's pursuit of happiness, but I find if I base my happiness on the big things, the huge accomplishments, I’m not happy very often. A new love, a graduation, a birth, a job promotion, selling a five book series (still squeeee-ing over that one!), winning th...