Smutketeers

-Tell us about a day in the life of Loribelle Hunt. You’ve got kids (teenagers, omg!), a cop hubby, and a delightfully Southern extended family. How do you balance it all and stay sane?

Well, first you’ll have to tell me what sane is. Because, of course, sane is relative. I have sane relatives so that’s good enough, right? Or we could skip the niceties and just call the balancing act what it is. ADD on crack. Yep. That about sums it up.

-What’s your writing process like? Do you have a daily or weekly word count that you try to meet? Or do you wait until the last minute and write like a mongoose hopped up on speed?

I call my process the manic depressive insane writer way. I do not recommend it. Basically what happens is I have an editor or publisher or a bunch of readers, ask me for a book. An agreement is reached with a published for a deadline. I always give myself lots of time to do this. Unfortunately, I apparently strive on stress. And then, well, I stress. About characters and stories and plots. Because I got it in my head at some point that books are so easy to read they must be easy to write. Ha! I should be flogged. Oh wait…wrong blog.

Anyway, the serious answer is I tend to write in spurts. I’ll write a lot in 2-3 months and then nothing for 2 months. I have tried to change this process but the older I get and the more I write, the more I realize this is just the way I do it.

-If you could give one piece of advice to up-and-coming writers, what would it be? (It’s gonna be “always put on clean underwear,” we just know it!)

If you must wear underwear, please make it clean! Or you could do like me and take up cigarettes, beer, and mainlining Diet Coke, because if you’re starting out sane that probably won’t last!

-Some of our readers (and by that I mean every last one of the Smutketeers) may have a slight weakness for the boy-on-boy-on-girl threesome action. Once Bitten has some of that…is this a new subgenre for you, and will you be writing more of it?

Totally new for me! I started writing The Gift (my December Cobblestone release) thinking I was writing a love triangle. And the triangle went in a direction I didn’t expect lol! The Gift is a m/m/f story. And Once Bitten. And Twice Shy out this summer. And another as yet unnamed Cobblestone story for the summer will be m/m.

-One word comes to mind when you think of Loribelle Hunt. Okay, two. Alphas and shifters. Do these two naturally go together for you? What makes you lean in the alpha-ly direction?

I love werewolves. I love alpha men. And yeah, they do seem to go together. Lucky for me, I married my alpha man. There weren’t any werewolves available. I guess I’m just indulging my married to an alpha werewolf fantasy.

-If you could switch lives with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Laney Bradford from Invasion Earth. She is totally kick ass. The woman gets to have hot sex and play with assault rifles. What is not to love there?

-Tell us about your purse obsession. You started writing for the money to feed your habit, didn’t you? It’s okay. You can tell us.

I have a slightly unhealthy love for Louis Vuitton. But obsession? That’s just mean.

-And for the question every author hates with the fire of a thousand suns…where do you get the ideas for your stories? (C’mon, you didn’t think we’d resist that one, did you?)

Walmart. Where do you get yours? This is such a hard question to answer. They come from everywhere and sometimes nowhere. I’m a big fan of the what if. With Invasion Earth for example I started with, what if you were sleeping with the enemy? And then, what if you were ordered to sleep with the enemy? What would make a woman agree to do that? How do you make that woman likeable? A lot of my books start out in this manner.

-Which books are on your pry-them-from-my-cold-dead-fingers keeper shelf?

All of them? Between me and my girls there are well over 2000 books in this house. Picking absolute favorites is hard. From my romance shelves I would never let go of Suzanne Brockmann, Christine Feehan, Nalini Singh, and Linda Howard. From the rest of the collection-Pat Conroy, Guy Gavriel Kay, Tony Hillerman, Anne Bishop, Nevada Barr…See? You’re making me pick here and the list is just way too long!

-Tell us about your current release(s) and what you have coming up next.

I’ve got a very busy year coming up. Once Bitten releases from Loose Id on February 23. Twice Shy hopefully will be early summer, same publisher. Claiming Earth will be out sometime in late spring, I think. And there are a host of books not currently titled or scheduled. All told, I should have 8-9 releases in 2010.

-Do you have any appearances coming up?

Are you kidding? Revisit the last question. I’ll be chained to my desk for the next several weeks. I am planning on attending RT and RWA this year, but in the real world, I mean, online, I have no concrete plans.

-Where can we find you on the Internet?

My website is www.loribellehunt.com. If I’m procrastinating, no brainstorming! I meant brainstorming! Anyway, then I’m likely to be found lurking at Romance Divas. I’ve also been known to hang around twitter, twitter.com/loribellehunt

*And now for some quick questions…

~Tattoos or piercings?

Both

~On men: In uniform or out of uniform?

Duh. Both.

~Alien or werewolf?

I’m feeling like a broken record here.

~Phone sex or strip club?

Phone sex

~Knee high boots or come-fuck-me pumps?

Fuck me heels. Of course.

~Top or bottom?

No comment.

~Voyeur or exhibitionist?

Where is my lawyer? That guy is always late.

~Stormy beach or snowy mountainside?

I will take a hurricane over a blizzard any day. Long as I am not cold, it’s all good.

And for one lucky commenter, Loribelle is letting you fondle all her goodies! Um, what we mean is that she’s letting you browse through all the goodies on her backlist and is giving away one book to someone who comments between now and next Monday. Winner’s choice. Good luck!

Hey there my smutty friends, our own R.G. Alexander is too shy to mention that her book, TWILIGHT GUARDIAN is coming out in print! To celebrate, she’s running a contest on her blog. Check it out here! Awesome prizes!
And stay tuned to your Smutketeers channel for author interviews and new giveaways coming right up, including our very special prize for one lucky reader at the Romantic Times Convention in Columbus, Ohio in April/May! Will you be there?
All for Smut, and Smut for All!

BELIEVE IN ME by Crystal Jordan

Read an excerpt ♦ Buy it here!

Love might need a little push…or a good, swift kick.

Tori Chambers. Old biddy, gossip, busybody and meddler. Except in reality she’s none of those things—she’s a guardian angel who specializes in helping people find their soul mates. Her latest assignment has had her tearing her hair out for over a year. She’s holding up her end for the fireman who’s her current client, but his soul mate’s guardian angel is dropping the ball big time. And when a replacement steps in, it’s enough to curl what’s left of Tori’s hair.

Jericho. The one man who broke her heart—and made her determined to never fail her clients like her own guardian angel failed her.

A hundred years ago, while fighting for Texas independence, Jericho made a mistake that accidentally cost her life. Now that she’s forced to make nice and work with him, he’s determined not to lose her again. Even if he has to tie her to the bed and make love to her until she’s willing to see reason.

Because unknown to Tori, she is his assignment. And if he can’t find a way to convince her they’re soul mates, they face an eternity of consequences…

The winner of a copy of …And He Can Cook! and $20 gift certificate to Amazon is……

Jennifer Mathis!!  email r.g.alexander@hotmail.com with your snail mail for your prize.

And the winner of RG Alexander’s Samhain cafe pimp is….

Tracey D! !! email me at r.g.alexander@hotmail.com and let me know what ebook from my backlist you’ve chosen.

Thank you everyone for stopping by! And don’t go too far-my fellow Smutketeer Crystal Jordan has a new Samhain release coming out on Tuesday!!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day! We are interviewing harem leader, Smutketeer husband and Chef Extraordinaire…Chef Lee-author of …And He Can Cook!  How to Hone Your Most Important Dating Skill.

This cookbook has it all. Takes a man from grocery and equipment shopping, to cleaning his house. It’s full of sexy recipes guaranteed to make a woman weak in the knees, as well as advice from all the Smutketeers, and a few other fabulous romance authors on how a woman likes to be treated.

We have a little crush on him. And we all have a few questions.

Eden: When and how did you first come up with the idea to do a how-to cooking and dating book?

Chef Lee:  For as long as I can remember, I always seemed to be  helping someone come up with a recipe, helping my friends work out the dings in their relationships. (Apparently I look like I know what I’m talking about.) I thought about it a lot over the years, as I worked in different restaurant and resort jobs. I found myself working as a demonstration chef, and it showed me how many people don’t know how to do some of the most basic things in the kitchen, how willing they are to learn, and how clueless some men are about what women want. My wife often gushes over me to her friends, and a phrase she uses is “…And he can cook!” And voila the book was born.

Crystal: Give us your favorite dating tip from the book (It’s too bad you can’t read it to us out loud. You have a super sexy voice. Um…don’t tell your wife I said that.). Why do you think it’s the best tip?

Chef Lee: I actually have a lot of advice sprinkled throughout the book. About not spending more time in front of the mirror than she does, of the dangers of using cologne as a soap substitute etc. But the one most of my male friends seem to be oblivious to, and the one I think helps to get their minds focused on the woman and the evening ahead is:

Clean Your Damn House

Especially the bathroom. Or, if you have the cash, hire a maid service for the day. For around fifty bucks you’ll be able to see the floor’s original color and women won’t be afraid to sit down on your toilet. Also, that weird smell will disappear. What weird smell? Trust me…it’s there. Ask any woman, and she’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The “bachelor” smell.

Feisty: That is so true. Okay, Angelina or Jennifer?

Chef Lee: Um…what?

Feisty: Oh, sorry-we aren’t at the quickfire questions yet. I’m getting excited.

Eden: Me too!!  Tell us how you became interested in cooking. Has it ever helped you get the girls?

Were you always so smooth with the ladies? (And you are smooth). (ETA by Eden: And you smell good. Don’t tell your wife I said that).

Chef Lee: I used to watch my mother and grandmother  in the kitchen, it was like watching a chemistry experiment. I loved chemistry. Loved to blow things up, like most boys. When I was twelve I asked for a traditional Chinese hand-hammered wok. And the rest is culinary history haha. (And yes, I still have that wok).

As far as success with the ladies…As much as I wanted to be a bad boy on a Harley, I’ve always been kind of a nice guy… a geek…with a Harley. Cooking became my unique skill, my ice breaker. Something that got me noticed and appreciated far more than my stories about my days in the marching band or my infinite knowledge of all things Star Trek.

Cooking did win my wife’s heart. Though she says my sweet ass and bizarre sense of humor helped…I know it was the chocolate raspberry cheesecake and my ability to recreate Benihana’s ginger salad dressing. (And thanks Eden, I try)

Crystal: What’s RG’s favorite recipe from the book? How many times did you test all the recipes on her before she decided?

RG:  I know! I know! The Fig and Red Currant Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes!

or the curry dish. Or maybe the Spicy Tuna with Wasabi Aioli. (I can’t decide-and I’ve tried them all…the reason I’m currently dieting.)  P.S.  Crys, Eden…You know I’m here right?  I can see you. LOL
 

Eden: *G* Speaking of RG,  What is it like living with an erotica author? How does she inspire your work?

Chef Lee: Well, I try to make dishes spicy enough to distract her from her current Alpha male. Food that inspires her to use me for research. ;) I suppose that keeps me striving to be my best. But also, as a romance novelist, she provides me with a perfect window into the female psyche-as well as inspiring me to write. Watching how much she has accomplished these last few years really made me believe I could follow my dreams of writing this cookbook. You are lucky in this life if you find a partner who encourages your dreams, and helps you make them come true.

RG: Aww. I think I have some more research to do hon. But I’ll wait until the interview is over.

Chef Lee: Yeehaw!

Feisty: Don’t stop on our account! Any plans for another book?

Chef Lee: Yes!  Probably by 2011. A couples cookbook (though And He Can Cook! can be used by both male and female alike) called And Two Can Cook! I’m somewhat of a kitchen nazi at home, though I teach people how to cook for a living. So my wife and I are going to learn by doing. In every other area, we work together very well, but in the kitchen-I’m in teacher mode. This book will have new recipes, and new ways to have fun and be romantic in the kitchen together.

Eden: Sounds great!! Tell us about your website and blog-you have some very interesting features that we think people should know about!

Chef Lee: My website is designed to be a source of continuous information stemming from my book. I have a cooking and dating tip of the week (I need to go put new ones in today) I have compromises on movies that would go well with different recipe themes, and before the year is out I plan on having some instructional videos as well. www.andhecancook.com

And now for some traditional Smutketeer-style quick-and nosey-questions:

~T or A? A…wait does it have to be one?

~Tropical beach or mountain cabin? cabin

~Boxers or briefs? Neither. If commando was good enough for Patrick Swayze in Roadhouse, its good enough for me.

~Champagne or beer? Beeeeeeeeer.

~Top or bottom? Top. Unless I can talk her into reverse cowgi–um…top.

~Sheep or goats? Why?  What have you heard? :)

~Angelina or Jennifer? Neither. I would say Minnie Driver or Selma Hayek. And the answer to that is foursome w/ my wife. This is the Smutketeers, I can say that right?

Smutketeers:  Always! Thank you Chef for coming to visit! Chef Lee is having a CONTEST. If you spread the word about this great cookbook and post on this blog, you can win a copy of …And He Can Cook! As well as a $20 Amazon gift certificate!

He’ll choose a winner on Sunday.

All for Smut and Smut for All!

Hey there folks-you’ve probably been wondering where the heck we all are and what we’re up to…Since we’re the Smutketeers it’s usually safe to assume we’re up to no good, but, sad to say, we’ve been staying out of trouble because we’ve been working so hard. That could be boring, except, again, it’s us, and we’ve been busy writing more smut for all of you! And let’s face it, if we must work, writing smut is an awfully nice way to go…
We’ve all just finished our novellas for our upcoming Wasteland continuity series. This last week we’ve been completing our stories, polishing them up, and sending them off to our editor-very exciting! We’ve been working on this idea for almost a year, I think, so making it happen is pretty damn thrilling! I think our readers are really going to love the post-apocalyptic world we’ve created-and our hot heroes! Here’s our blurb, for those who haven’t seen it before:

THE WASTELAND SERIES
Coming from Samhain Publishing in May 2010!

In 2012, the world came to a grinding halt as radiation hit from a massive solar storm. Crops died, animals perished, cities fell, and humans became little more than beasts themselves. Under the threat of starvation, civility was reduced to mere memory. Only the strongest men survived, and physically weaker women and children wasted to nothingness.

There is only one rule in the Wasteland: survive.

Crystal Jordan~~ Book One: The Wanderer
Lilli Feisty~~Book Two: The Whore
Eden Bradley~~Book Three: The Breeder
R.G. Alexander~~Book Four: The Priestess

Somehow, we’ve all ended up writing stories with multiple partners…great-and dirty-minds think alike-lol!
Meanwhile, we’re waiting with baited and panting breath to get our cover art for the Wasteland series-look for our covers to be revealed here first!-and busy writing more for Samhain and our other publishers. I’m working on my next Spice novel, R.G. is putting her next novel together for Berkley Heat, Crystal is always working on a hot new story for Kensington Aphrodisia, and Feisty is working on her next erotic romance for Grand Central Publishing.
Speaking of Feisty, her latest novel, DARE TO SURRENDER, was just released and is in bookstores and available for order on Amazon and other online outlets now! Awesome, hot, romantic story-a must have!

I love this cover! It’s suggestive without being obvious, in your face nudity-I think it’s classy yet seductive. I prefer this sort of cover to one that reveals too much-I love the subtlety of it, yet the message comes through loud and clear. One of my favorite covers is for my BDSM book The Darker Side of Pleasure. If you don’t look at it carefully, it’s easy to miss what’s going on, and I love that. What about you? Do you like classic clinch covers, a naked male torso…? What kind of cover really draws you in?
CONTEST! Let me know what sort of book covers you love, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of one of my e-books, WINTER SOLSTICE, Book One in my Celestial Seductions series! The second book in this series, SPRING EQUINOX, will be out March 5th. The winner will be announced on Thursday, so a quick little contest, just for fun. Hurry to enter-and be sure to check back to see if you’ve won!
And stay tuned for author interviews and giveaways coming up soon-we have some awesome stuff in store!