Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Cassandra Carr Author Spotlight and Giveaway


Hello Fans! I'd like you to meet Cassandra Carr!! 



Cassandra Carr is a multi-award winning erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Sybarite Seductions/Twenty or Less Press, Decadent PublishingSiren Publishing, and Loose Id. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out online. Cassandra is the co-founder of two successful group blogs, Romancing the Jock and Dirty Birdies, and participates in several others as a contributor. Currrently Cassandra also serves as president of Western New York Romance Writers.
For more information about Cassandra, check out her website at http://www. booksbycassandracarr.com, "like" her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/ AuthorCassandraCarr or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ Cassandra_Carr.


Title: Should've Known Better
Author: Cassandra Carr
Publisher: Twenty or Less Press
Publication date: 4/2/13
Length: 70,000 words/292 pages 
Genre: Contemporary sports romance (NON-erotic)
ISBN: 9781301644254
Format: ebook, paperback



Sarah Jenkins, a math geek and hockey fanatic, is thrilled when the NHL hires her as an advisor for the Buffalo Storm. She gets to marry her two loves in this perfect job.
Sebastian St. Amant is a young hockey player looking to make the jump from the minors to the big leagues. His lifelong dream is within reach, but he needs to convince the Storm's management and coaches he's ready.
When Sarah and Sebastian meet, sparks immediately fly. Both want to succeed, but neither can ignore the growing attraction and a relationship is out of the question—Sarah’s an influential staff member and Sebastian’s a player, not to mention over ten years her junior.
But the impossible becomes the necessary when they can no longer fight their attraction. As everything crashes around them, the strength of their relationship is tested. Will it weather the storm, or should they have known better?

BUY LINKS CAN ALL BE FOUND AT:

EXCERPT:

It was hard to miss the long, thorough once-over he was giving her, leaving her hot and feverish—a reaction she couldn’t attribute purely to the blazing heat or her frazzled nerves. Their gazes collided and he stared at her with a glimmer of male interest.

She wasn’t sure why he’d be interested in her. He was gorgeous, and she was, well, a nerd, for want of a better word.

Her attention was drawn to full lips that would’ve looked feminine on other men, but there was nothing feminine or soft about this man. Hard, sinewy muscles stretched over his arms, legs, and torso, but despite his size, he was leanly muscled rather than bulky. He reminded her of a panther readying to strike, and her breathing kicked up another notch.

Sarah shook her head to clear it. She had a new job to focus on right now and that was the only thing that was important. It had to be. She couldn’t afford to screw this chance up.

“After you.” He stepped back and motioned for her to pass.

His voice had a hint of an accent. French-Canadian, perhaps? It rolled over her like a gentle breeze. What woman could resist an accent like that?

“Thank you. And I’m sorry about running into you.”

“I’m not.” He gave a one-sided, incredibly hot smile.

Get to Know Cassandra~! 

Hello Cassandra, thanks for being here with us! Let's get down and dirty!


What genre are your books? What made you choose to write erotica?

My books are a mixture of contemporary erotic and non-erotic romance. I chose to write erotic romance because it was my favorite thing to read. I wanted to see if I could then write it successfully.
What is your favorite part of erotica?

When I’m writing erotica, as opposed to erotic romance, my favorite part is that first combustible moment, the first time the hero and heroine come together.




Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

All over the place! There’s inspiration everywhere. Usually my books begin with a kernel of an idea and blossom from there.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I believe my recently-released free read short story was my twenty-fourth release. Not all are full-length. I write everything from short stories to full-length novels. My favorite is Should’ve Known Better. It’s the first book I ever wrote, and with the help of my wonderful editor at Twenty or Less Press, it’s a great book now. Just goes to show, if you really believe in a book, you can make it happen.


Of your favorite, who would you cast as the characters?

I never know how to answer this question, since I never “cast” my books. Sebastian, the hero, was originally modeled physically after Sidney Crosby, but taller. I can’t even picture anyone in the role of Sarah, the heroine. Sarah is a very complex character and I’m not sure which actress in Hollywood I think could pull it off.



Sidney Crosby huh? I'm guessing you're a Hockey fan? Then again, who in Western New York isn't?!

Well since most of what I write is Hockey romance, yea, I do!




Which of your characters would be your book boyfriend?

Sebastian from Should’ve Known Better. I took all the qualities I loved in the heroes I’d read and mashed them all into Sebastian. I adore that character.



Are you currently working on another book? If so, is it part of a series or something different?

Always working on a book! Tonight I finished revisions on the second book in my Storm series, Underneath It All. Should’ve Known Better is the first. The free read I mentioned above, Moving Day, bridges books 1 and 2. I’m also doing edits on a story that will release next year with Decadent Publishing as part of their special series Calendar Men. That one’s titled Burning Love. Lastly, I owe a book to my Loose Id editor - the second of my m/m series with them. Like I said, always working!


How do you choose the men for your covers? Which cover is your favorite?

I don’t always have control over my covers. But with Velocity, book 4 of my Buckin’ Bull Riders series with Ellora’s Cave, I met a “Caveman” last year at the Ellora’s Cave convention, Romanticon. He was the spitting image of my hero. When it came time to do the cover I requested him (and got him!). It was only the second cover he’d been on for Ellora’s Cave -- he was new last year -- so he was excited too, which is always nice.

I’d had a lot of great covers. I’m not sure I could pick one favorite. I’ve been lucky from the beginning to work with so many talented cover artists.



What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I read, work in my garden -- which I am just wrangling back under control now that my daughter is a little older, watch hockey, go out to eat. Mostly typical stuff. I’m really not that interesting. ;-)
What does your family think of your writing?

My mom -- Cindy/Cynthia Racette -- is also a writer (of women’s fiction and contemporary romance) and she’s really proud of me. Some are more openly encouraging and enthusiastic than others, but I guess that goes with the territory.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned about yourself in creating your books?

That I can work really, really hard when I’m doing something I love. I work for hours on end and sometimes only stop when my eyes are too bleary to keep writing.

What’s been the best “Author” moment you’ve had since you began writing?

Should’ve Known Better was featured in an email Amazon sent out in late April 2013 and vaulted from around twenty thousand sales rank to eleven thousand, then continued to move up the charts all the way to the 300 range. That means the book was the 300th (or so) bestselling fiction title on Amazon at the time. Like ALL the fiction titles, not just romance. It was also number one in its category of Sports Romance. Seeing my book shoot up like that and then stay very good for a while was a huge thrill. I have similar hopes for Underneath It All.



As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

When I was a child, I’m not sure. I became interested in psychology in high school and went to college for it, but quickly realized I did not have the personality to do any sort of counseling, so I became involved in organizational development.



Faves Time:

Color- purple (and it’s become my “signature color” at conventions and the like, so if you see me at a convention there’s a good chance I’m wearing something purple)
Vacation Spot- St Thomas - loved it there
Song- Oh wow, I have so many. I’m going to say More Than Words by Extreme because it was “the song” of me and the first guy I ever fell in love with

**EEEP I love that song too Cassandra! My guilty pleasure.

Snack Food- Cheez-its
Movie- Again, very difficult to answer. I’ll go with Pride and Prejudice, the BBC version, which is technically a miniseries, but close enough!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

20 comments:

  1. would love to read this and thank you for the giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. My favorite sport is also hockey. I grew up with a jr league team in town and the games were so much fun! I miss seeing live in person hockey since I moved somewhere that hockey isn't as close by but still watch them on tv.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Kathy and Mary for being here today! I hope if you read Should've Known Better that you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for coming by, Starla and Jodi! I appreciate the comments!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love hockey but softball is my favorite. I have played it ever since I was little. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My favorite sports are track I ran 800M & 1 mile from 9th grade until my Junior year and I love rodeoing.
    When you get stuck does it help that your mom's a writer also?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Favourite sport is also hockey and favourite team is the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love tennis, played all throughout HS. But it's a sport I'd rather play then watch.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love ice hockey (go RANGERS!!!), baseball (go YANKEES!!), hockey (that's field if you were wondering) (Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!), cricket (go AUSTRALIA *sighhh*) and rugby league (go COWBOYS and STORM!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. would love to read this and thank you for the giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like football :-). I don't know if it's a lack of alternatives on Sundays in the fall/winter, but those tight pants, etc. make it pretty easy to watch! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. My favorite sport to watch is hockey, because it is so very fast and full of action.

    ReplyDelete
  13. My favorite is football, favorite team Oakland Raiders! I've always been a fan of football and am one of the loudest fans you'll ever meet

    ReplyDelete
  14. My favorite sport is Hockey, because of the violence, College football because of the skin tight pants and because the University of Michigan team ROCKS! I also LOVE diving, watching those hot, wet bodies is sexy!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Baseball is my favorite sport to watch! Love the Boston Red Sox!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Football, GO Steelers!!

    ReplyDelete