Saturday, September 15, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a signed print copy of FOR HER PLEASURE by Maya Banks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maya Banks lives in Texas with her husband, three children and assortment of cats. When she’s not writing, she can be found hunting, fishing or playing poker. A southern girl born and bred, Maya loves life below the Mason Dixon, and more importantly, loves bringing southern characters and settings to life in her stories.

Visit her website at: http://www.mayabanks.com


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 *wanted* to be a writer. From the time I was a very young child, I wrote full length stories in countless five subject notebooks. When I was a teenager I probably wrote 8 manuscripts. I wrote for my own enjoyment and loved creating my own world. It wasn’t until I was an adult, married and had my third child that I gave any credence to becoming a “published” writer. Because you see, I’ve always considered myself a writer.

A friend of mine and I got to talking one day about our mutual love of romance novels and the fact that we both loved to write. I don’t know why the light bulb went on when it did, but I proposed a pact. I challenged my friend to partner up and pursue the goal of becoming published. We vowed to kick each other’s butts on a daily basis. Since that time, not a single day has gone by that we haven’t talked at least once and pushed one another. The cool thing is we’re both published now 

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
In a word, freedom. I have the freedom to create anything I want. To explore the people and situations I want. I’m my own boss, set my own hours, can work in my grungiest clothes. The only thing I dislike is when I put too much pressure on myself.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
I’m really bad about this because when I’m in the zone, I tend to block out everything around me. If I write twenty pages in the morning then I feel like I need to do more in the afternoon. So no matter how much I get done, there’s always this driving force that tells me I could be doing more. As a result, I tend to be a burst worker. I might go weeks without writing anything but then write to the exclusion of all else for a period of time.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
Uhm yes! All of the above. It varies with each story. I’ve never approached any two stories the same. I think if I did, it would lose a lot of its interest and freshness for me.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I started out writing historicals and did so for several years. I also wrote a few contemporary romantic suspense type stories. Then I made the switch to contemporary, southern erotic romance and that’s where my voice really took off. It’s because it’s me. I’m very southern lol. I was writing about people who were like me, thought and talked like me.

As for why I write the stories I write, well, they choose me. Sometimes I’ll have just a scene come to me. Just one moment and it will be so powerful that I’ll latch onto that and build a story around it. At other times, the entire story will come to me and unfold in exacting detail and it’s all I can do to write it quickly enough that it doesn’t leave. Sometimes it’s just a situation that I find compelling or emotional.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Most of them are imagined. I take traits and characteristics from people I know but the overall characters themselves are never based on someone I know intimately. Some situations within the story I will write from experiences I’ve had or know others to have had, but part of the fun of creating fictional characters are that they don’t have the same limitations as people I meet on an everyday basis.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
That’s tough because when I’m writing a story, those characters are who I love the most. I give each novel everything I can when I’m telling their story. Some linger longer than others, though. I’d probably have to pick three sets of characters from three books. Manny and Jules from Long Road Home (releasing this November), Jake and Ellie from Understood (available now) and Mac, Kit and Ryder from What She Wants and What She Needs in the For Her Pleasure anthology.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
That the hours they’ve spent reading my book weren’t wasted. A sense of emotion and love. No matter what genre I write in, I always write with emotion and a sense of deep, abiding love. That doesn’t change with pen names or genre.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Just write it. It sounds simple, and perhaps it is. Writing the book is only the first step in a series of long steps on the road to publication, but it’s the single most important one. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and don’t let fear impede your progress.

What are you reading right now?
At the time that I’m answering these questions, I just read Beauty and the Beast by Hannah Howell, The Darker Side of Pleasure (ARC) by Eden Bradley, and Riding the Storm by Sydney Croft. I just ordered a bunch of Hannah Howell’s backlist titles so I’m looking forward to digging into those.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

For Her Pleasure is a single author anthology by Maya Banks. It comes out September 2007 from Berkley HEAT.

BLURB:

What She Wants

Kit Townsend wants Travis “Mac” McKenzie and Ryder Sinclair in her bed, their hands on her body. They’re the only two people she trusts in the world, and better, they share her negative view of relationships and messy emotional entanglements. But Mac wants more from Kit than easy sex and a hot threesome. After an attack on Kit leaves her shaken and afraid, Mac knows he can’t wait any longer to claim his fiery rebel. Convincing her that he can be trusted with her heart while protecting her from her attacker may just be the biggest challenge of his life.

What She Needs

Ryder realizes his feelings for Kit run a lot deeper than he thought, but he’s unwilling to come between her and Mac. He loves her. He wants her. He aches for her. But he’s prepared to step back no matter how hard it is to let Kit go. Until a shocking revelation makes it impossible for him to walk away.

What She Craves

Mia Nichols has loved Texas Ranger Jack Kincaid forever, but he’s kept her at a distance. One night she seduces him, and he gives in to the temptation that has haunted him for so long. The next morning, however, he disappears, leaving her to wonder if he’s alive or dead.

Two years later, he bursts into the club where she’s stripping, determined to haul her back to Dallas. But Mia is caught in a dangerous situation, and it will take everything Jack has to save her—and gain her forgiveness.


EXCERPT:
(From the first novella, What She Wants)

Kit splashed water onto her face and dabbed at her cheeks with a towel. After wiping her eyes, she picked her head up and looked into the mirror. She still looked like hell.

With a sigh, she dropped the towel on the counter. She shrugged out of her clothes and turned on the shower. Maybe a full run under the water would alleviate some of the fear that seemed engraved in her eyes.

She eyed her duffel bag she’d hurriedly packed, then plucked out clean underwear, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts while she waited for the water to heat.

Despite Mac’s clear-cut order that she stay with him indefinitely, the mere thought gave her the hives. It was too close to a semblance of a relationship for her comfort level. She’d stay until she was sure it was safe, but she had no intention of making it long term. They may never catch her attacker, and hiding forever wasn’t in her game plan.

She stepped into the hot spray and closed her eyes as the heat rushed over her. Already, she felt ridiculous for losing control in front of Mac and Ryder. No wonder they looked scared to death. Emotional breakdowns weren’t in character for her.

She scrubbed her hair, every inch of her skin. The attacker’s touch was fresh in her memory, brought to the surface by hearing his scratchy voice, remembering the taunts he’d thrown at her as she lay helpless beneath him.

Another tear rolled down her cheek, shocking her. She swiped the back of her hand over her eye and shook her head angrily. She had to get it together. The guys were waiting in Mac’s living room, and unless she could convince them she was okay, they’d hover over her forever.

She turned her face up into the spray and let the water run over her for several long minutes. Finally, she reached for the knobs and turned the shower off.

She hurriedly dried off and pulled her clothes on. She didn’t bother blow-drying her hair, opting to run a towel over it and give it a quick comb-through.

With nervous bubbles scuttling around in her stomach, she left the bathroom and eased her way into the living room where Mac and Ryder sat waiting for her.

They looked her way as she stepped into the room, concern mirrored in their eyes. Her heart sank. This wasn’t the way she’d envisioned her evening going. They were supposed to be having mind-blowing sex, and instead she’d been forced to come clean and humiliate herself.

“Are you all right?” Mac asked gently.

She nodded with more confidence than she felt. She walked over to the couch where Ryder sat and plopped down beside him. Ryder wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him. She rested her cheek on his hard chest and glanced nervously at Mac.

She had purposely taken refuge in Ryder. There was something in Mac’s eyes, in his earlier statements that screamed a warning to her. Even now, his gaze slid possessively over her as if staking his claim.

Yes, Ryder was safe. Mac…was not.

Mac sighed and ran a hand though his short cropped hair. Kit was running from him sure as shootin’. Oh, she wanted him. He had no doubt of that, but she was trying to hide from what they both knew to be true. She was his.

He tried to muster irritation that she was wrapped so sweetly around Ryder, but he knew she was scared. Ryder was safe and comfortable to her, and Mac didn’t want to ruin that.

“Ryder and I have talked. One of us is going to be at the bar with you at all times.”

Kit’s eyes flared in surprise, and she raised her head from Ryder’s chest. “But you can’t do that. I have to work five nights a week. You guys both have jobs.”

“We’ll work around your schedule,” Mac said firmly.

Kit sat forward, her face drawn into a cloud of confusion and anger.

“I won’t let that creep run my life, and I certainly won’t let him upend yours and Ryder’s.”

“Hey now, darlin’,” Ryder said as he leaned forward beside her. “You can’t fuss because Mac and I want to look out for you. We’ve been doing it too long for you to get all riled about it now.”

She turned vivid green eyes on Ryder. They were chock-full of things Mac didn’t like. He wanted Kit to sparkle. She’d had too many moments in life where she’d lived in fear or sadness.

“But that’s just it, Ryder. You guys have been looking out for me too long. It’s time I did it myself. I did just fine when you both left.”

The hurt in her voice twisted Mac’s gut. He knew she’d felt betrayed when he and Ryder had left the town they all grew up in, Mac to join the service, and Ryder to roam the country.

It still surprised him that Ryder came back. But Mac, well, he always knew he was coming back for Kit. If he had to do it all over again, he’d have taken her with him.

“I’m not leaving again, Kit,” Mac said quietly.

She flinched and refused to meet his gaze.

Ryder laid a hand on Kit’s knee. “Mac and I have it worked out. One way or another, one of us will be at the bar when you’re working, and when you aren’t working, you’ll be here.”

“I can’t stay here,” she said. “I have a house. My life.”

“Relax, darlin’. It’s not like we weren’t planning to be spending a whole lot of time together anyway, right?”

Kit flushed, her cheeks turning pink. She stole a look at Mac and flushed all over again. It was all Mac could do not to carry her to bed here and now.

Mac held her gaze, meeting her eye to eye. “Have you changed your mind?”

Indecision briefly flickered and skirted across her face. She licked her lips nervously then she slowly shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

“Then it shouldn’t be a big deal if we want to be around you. As long as you’re in my bed, I’ll be damned if I let anyone take a shot at you.”

He didn’t add that he planned to keep her there on a permanent basis. She’d run like a scalded cat if she got so much as a hint he wanted something more than a casual fling.

“And when it’s over?” she asked quietly. “What then?”

Ryder raised one eyebrow in Mac’s direction. A clear warning to tread carefully.

“By then we’ll have nailed the son of a bitch. But baby, surely you don’t think one night is all we’re interested in, do you?” he asked silkily.

She glanced between Mac and Ryder almost in panic.

“We’ve waited a long time for this, Kit. One night won’t even begin to satisfy our needs.”

“I’ll stay. Temporarily,” she added.

Mac nodded and fought back his smile of triumph. It was a step in the right direction at least. “We’ll head over to your place tomorrow to pick up anything you might need. In the meantime, why don’t you get some rest?”

She looked surprised, as if she’d expected something else all together.

He crooked an eyebrow at her. “Surely you didn’t think we’d jump your bones tonight?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. Obviously she had.

Mac sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, babe. All I’ve thought about is peeling every piece of your clothing off and licking every inch of your skin, but not tonight. You’re in no state for what we want to do.”

He could swear disappointment flashed across those green eyes of hers. He smiled to himself. Maybe one more night would have her wanting and needing them every bit as much as he needed her.


REVIEWS:

"For Her Pleasure is the ultimate in pleasurable reading. Enticing, enchanting, and sinfully sensual, I couldn’t have asked for a better anthology."
-- Talia Ricci, Joyfully Reviewed

"Maya Banks became a must read author for me after I read her very first book SEDUCING SIMON. Her storylines are always full of emotional situations, lovable characters, and kick butt storylines that will leave you desperate for more. I highly recommend FOR HER PLEASURE for readers who like spicy romances with a suspenseful element - it's definitely a must read!"
-- Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies



For Her Pleasure by Maya Banks
ISBN: 0425217493
Publisher: Berkley HEAT
Release Date: Sept 2007
$10.20 from Amazon.com


Purchase For Her Pleasure by Maya Banks HERE!!!