Tuesday, June 12, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Samantha Gentry is currently living in Kansas, but have lived most of her life in the Los Angeles area. She has fond hopes of being able to move back to the West Coast.

For 20 years, she worked in television production before becoming a full time writer. For many years photography was her avocation and at one time had thought about being a travel photographer. Research showed her that she had a better chance of marketing her photographs to magazines if they included an article, so that's when and how she started writing…non-fiction magazine articles to accompany her photographs. She found that she thoroughly enjoyed the writing process. The writing eventually segued into fiction and novels.

She has 21 novels published by Harlequin/Silhouette under the pseudonym of Shawna Delacorte. Her most recent release was March 2007 from Harlequin’s Intrigue line titled WHO’S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED? She discovered ebooks in late 2005 and had her first one published in January 2006 with Triskelion Publishing. She currently has 6 releases available with Triskelion Publishing and one with Silk's Vault.

In addition to writing full time, she also teaches an 8 week fiction writing class at the local university. She's been doing this twice a year for 9 years.

Visit her website at www.samanthagentry.com and enter her monthly contest. She also has a short short story posted, a short tale of horror titled THE ASSISTANT written by a yet unpublished writer named Shannon Gray.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Event planner Afton Pendleton was very pleased with her arrangements for the upcoming grand opening party at the luxury ski resort. But she had not anticipated the resort's dynamic owner, Gage Brennan, arriving on the scene and making arbitrary last minute changes to her carefully worked out preparations. Angry sparks flew fast and furious between them. But before she could regain control of her project, the worst snow storm in fifty years shut down everything. The two adversaries were stranded together in an empty lodge. Sparks of a different type flew as the physical attraction between them spiraled out of control. Could this steamy encounter possibly lead to a lasting relationship?


EXCERPT:
(Warning: Story contains mature content.)

He placed his fingertips beneath Afton's chin and lifted until he had eye contact with her. He saw intelligence, curiosity and a sensuality that made his cock twitch and nearly knocked his socks off. He didn't see any anxiety or fear. His intention had been to kiss her, but caution prevailed. "Tell me about yourself. I don't really know anything about you."

The physical contact sent her pulse racing and her heart pounding. She and Gage may have been at odds with each other over the grand opening party, but at that moment she wanted to know him much better. She wanted to intimately know all of him. Her pussy tingled. The dampness spread to her panties. She wanted that scrape me off the ceiling type of hot sex he exuded. She had difficulty forming her words.

"What would you like to know?"

His breath whispered across her cheek. "Everything."

She thought he was going to kiss her, but at the last moment he seemed to change his mind. Granted, the circumstances surrounding them were unusual. But if he was even half as turned on as she was...well, it might be a few days before they could get out or anyone else could get in. A crackling fire in the fireplace, a bottle of champagne, the steamy waters of the hot springs and a building full of bedrooms. Could there be a more perfect set up for seduction?

A more perfect setting for a steamy encounter?

Her words came out as a husky whisper. "I'm thirty-three years old, divorced a year ago from a controlling man who didn't think I needed any identity other than being his wife." It took a moment for her to realize exactly what she had said. What she didn't know was why she had said it. "Ah ha…that explains a lot."

Her body stiffened. The sensual blanket covering her had been ripped away. She took a quick step backward to put some distance between them. There was an unmistakable edge to her voice. "And just exactly what is that supposed to mean?"

Once again the sparks of conflict flew between them. "I don't think it meant anything. It was merely an observation. You've been resistant to even the slightest suggestion-"

"Suggestion?" Her eyes widened in shock. "You weren't making suggestions. You were demanding impulsive changes to carefully constructed plans based on nothing more than your whim. Days of hard work down the tubes just because you like the color green better than blue-"

His mouth came down hard on hers, not only stilling her words but also driving all thought from her mind. He wrapped her in his embrace, holding her body tightly against his. She felt the heat of his passion, an intensity that singed every corner of her body. She had been on the receiving end of her share of hot kisses, but they paled significantly against the feel of Gage's mouth on hers. It was almost as if her arms had a will of their own as they encircled his neck. She returned his kiss. Her entire body quivered with excitement. Never had anyone so thoroughly grabbed her senses with only a kiss. Her pulse raced. Her pussy tingled with need, the moisture dampening her panties. The sexiest smile she had ever seen had not been misleading. It belonged to the sexiest man she had ever encountered. A man who had her mind swirling in a cloud of confusion and her body vibrantly alive with both desire and need.


INTERVIEW:

1. Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I became a writer sort of by default. Photography was my main interest. I wanted to be National Geographic and travel the world taking pictures. I had some of my pictures published, but found that I had a better change of marketing my photographs if I had a magazine article attached to them. So, I started writing magazine articles to go with my photographs. I had three articles with photographs published. I found that I really enjoyed the writing process. I worked as a production manager in television production at the time and friends kept telling me I should write screenplays since I had inside access to producers and directors. In 1989 I took a screen writing class at UCLA. I decided that I wasn't interested in writing screenplays but did want to try my hand at novels. I researched the market and found that romance accounted for 50% of all mass market paperback novels. I read about 200 romance novels from various publishers and various lines to narrow down what I thought I could do. Then I started writing, kind of feeling my way through the process. Through trial and error (and naturally a good dose of luck), in 1991 I sold a manuscript (the third one I had written) to Silhouette for their Desire line. I left the day job to write full time in 1995 after the release of my fourth novel from Silhouette.

2. What do you love about being an author?
I love being able to work at home and determine my own time frame for work hours. I also like the idea that I can work from anywhere. Have laptop, will travel! Of course, a full time writer spends far more hours "on the job" than a regular day job requires. I also love the creative expression it allows me, a different type of creativity than the photography although I'm still very interested in photography. With photography you take what is presented to you (the visual image) and turn it into a creative effort. With writing you create what isn't there (the mental image) and make it a creative effort.

3. Is there anything you dislike about being a writer?
Not being able to depend on a steady and predictable income.

4. How do you balance your personal and writing time?
Personal time? I'm not sure I understand the concept. Seriously, writing requires discipline as does working from home. It's so easy to get distracted by anything. "Oh, look! The people across the street are getting a UPS delivery. I wonder what it is." Or the ever popular, "Hmmm...maybe this is a good time to unload the dishwasher." When I'm writing a contracted manuscript, I determine how many pages a day I need to write in order to deliver the completed manuscript by its due date. I set up a schedule that allows me to deliver on time. The secret to that is to not set yourself a schedule that's unrealistic because it will become self-defeating.

5. How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
I've gotten story ideas from characters and also from an incident or event. Romances are character driven stories since they are relationship books. I also write mysteries which are more plot driven. Whether it's a certain type of character that sparks an idea or an event, they both come down to the same thing. What is it that brought these people to the place and time where the story begins (in other words, the backstory) and what it is they want (the story)?

6. What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I'm published in both contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, mystery and highly sensual romance. I write what interests me, so the type of contemporary romance, the type of mystery, change as my interests change. Writing eBooks has allowed me to write far more sensual stories than my Harlequin books.

7. Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
I create my own characters rather than using people I know. If you try to pattern a character after a real person, you end up either deviating from that person's character in order to make the character fit your story or you have a character that doesn't work within your story and you try to force the character into the type of action/dialogue that isn't right for the type of character you've created and you end up with a writing problem.

8. Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
I'm not sure I have a favorite. I like all my hero and heroine characters for different reasons, otherwise I wouldn't have written them.

9. What would you want readers to take away from your books?
The feeling that they've been entertained, that they've come away from one of my books pleased that they took the time to read it. That it provided them with some escapism time when they could indulge their own fantasies and lose themselves in the characters and events I've created.

10. Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Learn the craft! Having great story ideas does not mean that what you've written is great. The story idea (plotting it out) and actually writing it are two different functions. And above all else keep firmly planted in your mind that you have to remain determined, be persistent and keep working at it. As with all creative efforts, the success is based a great deal of luck especially in the beginning. All creative efforts, whether writing or art or music, are subjective in nature and their acceptance or rejection usually comes down to one person's opinion on any given day. Rejection of your manuscript is not a measure of its quality. However, you also need to be open to revisions and changes. No one's words are carved in granite.

11. What are you reading right now?
Right now I'm reading non-fiction...The Mystery Of The Crystal Skulls.

12. If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
I'd like to be able to spend a good deal of my time traveling (with my laptop computer, of course). I love seeing new places, learning about the local history, and revisiting my favorites.


SAMANTHA'S TYPICAL DAY

As soon as I wake up, Harrison (my houseboy) draws my scented bath. By the time I've finished bathing and am dressed he has prepared a champagne brunch which he serves on the terrace next to the swimming pool. I spend the next two hours reading the morning newspaper and working on my tan.

Promptly at the stroke of noon I adjourn to my home office and begin writing. I spend a grueling four hours slaving away over my computer keyboard creating brilliant prose filled with exciting characters, entertaining plots and highly sensual encounters. I emerge from seclusion at four o'clock having written the next chapter of my current work-in-progress.

Harrison's talented touch soothes my tight shoulder muscles with an expert massage. He pours me a glass of wine before going to prepare a gourmet dinner. And the rest of the evening is better left to your imagination.

Oops…I just lost my hold on reality for a moment. Sorry.

I'm a morning person and am usually at my computer by six o'clock with a cup of hot coffee which I keep at a safe distance from my keyboard (been through the spilled coffee on the keyboard before, don't need to do it again ). The first thing I do is go through my email. Then I get to work—either writing or revising on my current work in progress, or doing the edits on my next release. I usually run errands in the early afternoon.

Hmm…I think I like the first version of what my typical day consists of better than the reality.



Steamy Encounter by Samantha Gentry
ISBN: 1933874961
Heat Index: Erotic
$3.99 from Triskelion Publishing


Purchase Steamy Encounter by Samantha Gentry HERE!!