Interview and Giveaway with Cherrie Lynn!

Holla Maidens! Today we got another hot author for Burning Up July! Please welcome Cherrie Lynn! Cherrie is an author of both contemporary and paranormal romance. If you're looking for something hot to steam up your summer nights, then Cherrie has the remedy for you! Today, she spills on her writing and what influences her work. For more information on Cherrie Lynn, please check out her website here.

UTC: Writing has been something you've done your entire life. When did you realize that this was what you wanted to do?

Around twelve years ago. Growing up, it seemed I was always writing stories for a small audience (my friends), and they would encourage me to try to get published. But for a while, even long after school was over and I was writing only for me, I simply had no interest in pursuing publication. Writing was something I did for fun.

I can't pinpoint for you that one moment when I changed my mind, but I can say it mostly had to do with reading awesome books. Every time I finished one that really grabbed me, I would think "I want to do this, I want to give people this feeling." And so one day, I did!

UTC: Congratulations! You have just released Far from Heaven, a paranormal romance. Can you tell us a bit about this latest release?

Thank you! Far From Heaven continues the trend of my fascination with heroes who begin the story as a villain. Ash is a demon on the edge of winning the one soul he's had his sights on for centuries. Her name is Madeleine and through every lifetime she's lived, she's always managed to elude him, but this time, through Ash's sneaky demonic manipulation, she belongs to him.

But Ash can't resist an opportunity to sample the delights of her flesh before he takes her soul to everlasting torment...and so begins his gradual realization that he didn't know himself or his own intentions as well as he thought.

I love Ash and Maddie's story. Their love for each other, in the end, was so fierce. Ash was a challenge to write, because he started out so bad. He'd done bad things. He *does* bad things through the course of the book--it's all in a day's work to him. Those guys are the most fun to redeem!

UTC: Some of your works in progress include an erotica romance novella involving Ghost and Macy from Rock Me. What can we expect from this highly anticipated release?

Fortunately--or unfortunately for me?--you can expect it to be a whole lot longer than a novella, for one thing. I realized pretty fast I couldn't tell their story in 35,000 words or less!

Their story can best be summed up as two worlds colliding. She's a cowgirl. He plays in a death metal band, when he's not tattooing or wisecracking. A lot of Candace and Brian's (Rock Me) conflict came from external sources, but with Ghost and Macy, it's mostly internal. Their own hang-ups and experiences and lifestyles are their major hurdles to happy-ever-after. Although there is also still that "What will everyone think?" insecurity as well, to a lesser extent. As with their best friends' story, you can certainly expect angst, fun, friendship, heartbreak, family drama, and (does it even need to be said?) hot sex.

UTC: OOoh! I cannot wait to get my hands on this! We know you're a fan of Dexter, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries. Are there any actors/actresses you had in mind when writing your characters?

Oh, those are my shows I can't do without--especially Dexter. Can't wait for the new season. As far as actors and actresses, well, Ian Somerhalder is definitely good for getting the creative juices flowing, hehe.

At some point in the writing process I might seek out a celeb comparison for my characters--usually musicians rather than actors. And it's always fun to hear readers' ideas of who they look like! But for the most part, I have an image of them in my head from the start and they don't look like/act like anyone else.

UTC: You have playlists on your website for each of your books. How has music influenced your writing?

So much that I can't say enough about it. I feel like music is what's gotten me here. It's pretty obvious from those playlists that I'm a fan of hard rock/heavy metal. I rarely write without it blaring in my ears. I've been bailed out of a corner SO many times by a perfectly timed lyric--it's almost like magic sometimes. Really good emotional songs--whether they're upbeat or full of despair or just pissed off--help me dig deep when I'm writing, and I thought it would be fun to let my readers in on the songs that inspired me for each particular book.

UTC: Fun questions! If you could collaborate with another erotica author, who would you choose and why?

Olivia Cunning. I'm a huge raving fangirl of her Sinners series. They're at the top of the list of Books I Wish I'd Written, lol. We have similar tastes in music and a mutual love for the down and dirty rock stars. There has already been a joke on Twitter about the need for her Brian to meet my Brian, so I don't think I'm the first to suggest this. ;-)

UTC: That would be awesome!! I would definitely love to see that collaboration in the flesh! *winks* okay, complete this sentence: When I'm not reading or writing, I'm ...

...thinking "Damn, I need to be reading or writing!" Honestly...when I'm not reading or writing, I'm working the dreaded day job. Or unwinding from the dreaded day job. I wish I had a more exciting answer, like I'm lying on a chaise lounge poolside being waited on by cabana boys, but...hey, maybe we'll use that anyway. Yeah. That's what I'm doing, keeping the cabana boys in line.

UTC: If both Evan and Brian Ross asked you out for a night on the town, who would you accept and what would you do?

Um, both? And what *wouldn't* we do?

Okay, I'll play (I love this question, by the way). I'd have to say Brian, hands down. That's not intended as a slight against Evan at all--I love him dearly; he has a special place in my heart. But we'd have little in common and, well, he's simply out of my league! Brian, on the other hand...oh, yeah. He's my kinda dude. He's the man you can be your crazy let-it-all-hang-out self with and know he'll not only accept you, he'll get off on it.
If you've read the mosh pit scene in Rock Me, then you know what I'd want to do on our night out! Rock concert, baby. And afterward, he could give me some new ink...

UTC: Oh baby, good choice! I think I may have to side with you on that one. Sorry Evan! And that mosh pit scene? I'd like one of those please! You've got 5 seconds to pull a book to read from your bookshelf, which one do you pick and why?

A book I've already read so many times I've lost count: Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane. Oh my God. I can sum up the "why" in one word: Terrible. But I'll use more words: because the Downside Ghosts series, and this book in particular, kicks insane amounts of ass. I can't wait for the next one!

UTC: Thank you so much for stopping by today and being a part of our Burning Up July event!

Thanks so much for having me! It was a lot of fun!

For this giveaway Ms. Lynn is giving away an ebook of any of her four books (winner's choice) and a $15.00 Amazon gift card!

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