Thursday, July 12, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For more than 25 years, Erica DeQuaya has padded her bank account as a freelance journalist, copywriter and scriptwriter (with two produced plays under her belt). During the past several years, she's turned her considerable talents and abilities to her first love-writing romances. She is also the author of Backstage Affair, Double Mitzvah, Mixed Media (winner of the Road to Romance's critic's award) and Power Play (a Road to Romance "Recommended Read").

Erica lives in Texas with her husband/soul mate of more than 20 years, her son and two neurotic dogs. To learn more about Erica and her books, please visit her WEBSITE . Also, stop by the Author's Red Room and Writers Unlimited -- they keep Erica's reviews and excerpts up to date (those that she forgets to put on her website).

Erica loves to hear from her readers, you can reach her at ericadeq@comcast.net



ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Dubbed by many as the “Angel of Pain,” physical therapist Susannah Robers has a reputation for pushing her patients hard on the road to recovery. Battling her own emotional and physical disabilities, she finds healing through her powers to help others who are injured.

But Susannah meets her match when she is charged by Dallas Blaze owner Brian Corrigan with getting injured goalie Adam Cryder back on the ice after a crippling accident. Fighting the team doctor's attempts to get "Crate" back to work before he's ready, Susannah must also fight her heated sexual attraction to the superstar goalie. She has sworn never to become serious about jocks. But Adam has other ideas, and his off-ice goal is to make Susannah his...


EXCERPT:

“But let me show you I’m not like him, Anna. Give me the chance.”

Adam’s words reached into her, turning her inside out, and Susannah swallowed uneasily. She was sweaty, disheveled, but he was looking at her as though he was starving man and she a five-course meal. Worse still, her body was responding to that look and his words.

“I’m sweaty,” she blurted out, and he gave her a crooked smile.

“I’m used to sweat. You smell better than a lot of my teammates do. You look better. And I bet anything you feel better.” He reached out, snagged a drop of perspiration on his finger, and she shivered at the feel of his finger on her flesh. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on by sweat before,” he whispered.

He stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and pressed his lips against hers. She felt his hands tangle in her hair, keeping her head steady as his mouth moved with tortured sensuality on hers, branding her with a torrid desire. Any thought of breaking away from him was gone, not with his body pressed against hers, his need for her evident against her belly. His kisses were like an addictive drug; the more he gave, the more she craved.

“This is insane,” she whispered against his lips as the kiss broke.

“So commit me.” His voice was harsh, urgent, and, taking a deep breath, he brought his lips to hers again, his tongue making its way into her mouth. Helpless against the onslaught of desire raging through her body, Susannah wound her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him.

“Susannah.” His breath was hot against her ear as he broke free from the kiss and she trembled at the need, the longing in his voice. “God help me, I’ve wanted you for awhile. I never thought it would be returned.”

“Are you kidding?” Susannah leaned back in his arms, studied his flushed face. “I’ve had a crush on you. For years. It was one reason I almost turned Brian down when he ordered me to take you on.”

“Do you think this is what he had in mind?” Adam leaned forward and began pressing feather-light kisses on her eyelids and cheeks.

“No.” Her heart was thumping in her throat, her legs trembling. She caught her breath as he moved against her. “I’m so hot for you, Adam. Damn you.”

“Why damn me?” He whispered the words in her hair and she closed her eyes.

“I could get my license revoked—”

“Not if we don’t tell anyone.”

Susannah took a deep breath and forced herself out of his arms. She turned her back on him and looked out the front door at the almost empty parking lot, rubbing her hands on her arms. Adam moved behind her, close to her, but not touching. Still, she was conscious of the warmth of his body. It was that warmth she was responding to, the need to have him touch her, to kiss her, to bury himself deeply in her.

“I’m not trying to give you the rush or anything.” His voice was husky, languid. “We’d be damn good together, and you know it, Anna.”

She clenched her fists and lowered her head, practicality warring with her need to be in his arms and in his bed. Or wherever else he could take her.

“There’s too much going against this,” she whispered.

Adam turned her gently and, putting a finger under her chin, tilted her face to his. His eyes were filled with affection, sympathy and desire.

“There’s everything going for this,” he responded. “All it needs is a chance.”

A chance.

Your father never had a chance once that damned driver hit him.

Susannah wearily pushed the thought from her mind. None of that had been Adam’s fault.

“You’re persuasive,” she told him, her voice unsteady.

Susannah saw relief and triumph flash across his face.

“You learn those skills as a hockey goalie,” he said softly. “They come in handy from time to time.”

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. Susannah caught her breath at the heat tumbling through her body. She was hot for him, her wanting spiraling out of control...


INTERVIEW:

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've always liked writing and have always wanted to write. I've been lucky enough to be able to do it professionally (articles, copywriting and so on) for more than 20 years. Fiction writing has been recent -- about the past four years, and yes, it's something I always imagined I'd be doing since I was 9 or 10 or something like that.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
What's great about being an author is creating worlds and putting characters in them to see how they react. I've always felt writing fiction is an awesome responsibility -- we're responsible to our readers to entertain, inform and enlighten. I hope I do that every time one of my books or stories comes out.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
That's a tough one. Right now, more time goes to the "personal" because I love my family and want to spend time with them. Possibly, when my son goes away to college, I'll devote more time to the fiction writing (I have a writing job during the day that pays the mortgage). But I made the choice to put family first. If that means I don't make money off my fiction for another decade or so, then so be it.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
It kind of depends, but mostly I like to put characters in difficult situations. With my novel "Mixed Media," I'd wanted to base a romance on the character of Stephen Lemont, who had made an appearance in my first novel, "Backstage Affair." I put Stephen through several "what-if" situations, came up with the idea of sexual harassment and that's how the plot came about. That's typical of how I work things.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
My main genre is contemporary, but I also dabbled in paranormal with my novel Soul Obsession (written under the name of Amy Wolff Sorter). I know contemporary and I like it, so that's why I write about it. But within the genre, I'll work on various areas (such as theater with Backstage Affair and Mixed Media) or hockey (such as Power Play, In the Crease and my upcoming Penalty Kill).

I like doing romantic erotica because I feel like I can push the boundaries. Not just in the bedroom, but how to build the sexual tension even before the couple ends up together in bed.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Most of my characters are composites of people I know, men and women. Some of them take characteristics of people I'm close to or that I know pretty well.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
I'm going back to Mixed Media and Backstage Affair with this one. I liked Stephen Lemont so much, I wanted him to have his own book and story. Stephen is a sexy character and lighthearted, not tormented like a lot of my other heroes, and knows how to have fun, but to work hard as well. Another I really like is Adam Cryder, from In the Crease. Adam is a practical joker and a hockey stud who adores opera and reads "chick" books. I liked the dichotomy with him :-).

In terms of heroines, I really also liked Susannah, also from In the Crease. She's not your typical glamorous heroine, but she's okay with that, and is comfortable in her skin. She's also very honest with herself, which is a trait I admire in most people.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I hope that they are entertained by the time they get to the final page. I also hope I can give them some tidbit of knowledge they may not have had before. With my "theater" series, it was how a play comes together. With my hockey novels and stories, it's behind the scenes of the hockey world. But most of all, I want readers to enjoy themselves.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
It's pretty simple. Just sit down and write. There are a thousand excuses and reasons NOT to (I know them all). Also, and it's going to sound trite, but write for yourself. Very few people make a decent living at this at first, and if you can't stand what you're putting on paper, there's no sense in wasting your time. Finally, be persistent. If you believe in your work, others will, too.

What are you reading right now?
I'm just getting out of my John Grisham phase, believe it or not. I'm reading a book by Mike Lupica, who's a sportswriter who switched to fiction and he's pretty funny.

If you could be anyone or anything that you wanted, who or what would you be?
I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, actually :-). I wouldn't mind being about 30 pound lighter and maybe three inches taller -- maybe blond...oh well!



REVIEWS:

"An interesting short story with likable characters, In The Crease is a winner. Susannah has a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but it doesn't take long for Adam to knock it off. Not your typical 'jock,' Adam enjoys both opera and romance novels and challenges Susannah both intellectually and physically. The chemistry between them is hot, but there is more to their relationship than lust. If you're looking for a quick but enjoyable read, look no further than In The Crease."
-- Jennifer Bishop, Romance Reviews Today

"Erica DeQuaya did it again with this remarkable story about letting the past go and learning to love again, not an easy task when it comes to two people afraid to love. If there is one book of Ms. DeQuaya¢s to start the New Year, [this] is it...great to read, but also the power of healing is strong in this book."
-- Lena C., Fallen Angels Reviews




In the Crease by Erica DeQuaya
ISBN-10: 1-59279-650-8
Genres: Contemporary / BDSM
Heat Level: 2
Length: Novella (26k Words)
$3.75 from Amber Quill



Purchase In the Crease by Erica DeQuaya HERE!!