Interview and Giveaway with Lorelei James!

Welcome back to Under the Covers's Burning Up July erotica event! We are so excited to have the cowboy queen, erotica author Lorelei James with us today.  You might've heard of her Rough Riders, Blacktop Cowboys or Wild West Boys series. James know exactly how to steam up the pages of her books and if you have not read any of her work yet, then get to it! For more information on Lorelei James, jump on her website here.

UTC: Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today! We love your work! But if you weren't an author, what would you be?

If this is a fantasy type thing, I'd say a kick ass cop. But if I have to pick something that utilizes my current marketable skill set...I'd be screwed, so it's a good thing I love my writing job, huh?

UTC: It is a damn good thing you do the writing thing, otherwise we'd be out of hot books! So, what are your "must-haves" when writing?

I write all new material on a laptop with no internet access so I'm not tempted to screw off, so I must have a candle burning in my bedroom when I'm writing. I need quiet, which is why I work best during the day when I'm home by myself. I wish my answer was that I needed something cool and unusual in order to write, like pickled squid and aromatic tea, hand picked from a mountainous slope in China, but nothing that exotic or glamorous.

UTC: LOL, that seems glamorous enough! What book was the hardest for you to write?

It's always the last book I finished, but then again, the last book I wrote is also my favorite book, with my favorite couple, so I think that's mostly because it's the one freshest in my mind. When working on an ongoing series it's difficult to think back and remember specifics about what sections or what characters gave me hell, because at some point, they all give me hell. What I've found interesting, after starting my 29th writing project, is this gig doesn't get easier. In fact, each book gets harder to write.

UTC: Which one of your heroines is most like you?

Some days I'm like Keely, some days I'm more like AJ, some days I'm channeling Skylar, but the heroine I wish I could be most like isn't on of my romance heroines, but my mystery heroine, Mercy Gunderson. She's a take no shit chick and a helluva shot.

UTC: Are you going to do a prequel story about Carlson and Carolyn and how they got together?

Now that's an interesting question, isn't it? Yes, that's artfully dodging it :)

UTC: Now let's do some fun questions! Pick just one character for each statement!

I would marry.... Kade McKay because he's such a stand up guy, and a great daddy to little girls -- plus he's hot :)
I would have a summer fling with.... Colby McKay because he knows his way around bein' a naughty bad boy behind the chutes.
I would have a hot one night stand with....Bennett McKay because for the most part, Ben doesn't do more than one night with any woman, but he does give you his undivided intention during that long, hot night.

UTC: What are five weird (or maybe not so weird) thing about yourself that readers don't know.

1) I'm not comfortable riding horses
2) I've got a cowgirl boot fetish
3) I once did a ride along with a cop for a class I was taking and we ended up at a crime scene where a guy had been stabbed in the head with a steak knife
4) My maternal grandmother is 102 years old and sharp as a tack
5) I am highly resistant to buying a smart phone

UTC: So, we have read Chasin' Eight and thought it was great, but it seemed a little different from your other books, still plenty hot and fun but a little more serious, was this intentional?

I don't know if it was intentional, but I knew from the start of the book that Chase would be facing some big challenges in order to change. Sticking to his initial plan before he met Ava was part of his change. So was dealing with tragedy. So was figuring out he wanted to be more than just a bull rider. So was falling in love with Ava. I remember texting my editor with the comment that there was no sex between Chase and Ava until the midpoint of the book, which is pretty late in my erotic romances. But every story is different, every couple's journey to happily ever after is unique, the challenges the hero and heroine face aren't the same in any book, so some books/plots are lighter, some deal with more emotional issues. CHASIN' EIGHT is my longest book to date and that wasn't intentional. I just uncovered more about my complex cowboy than I'd initially imagined, and I wanted to share that character arc with readers, especially since Chase has sort of been a mystery throughout the previous ten books in the Rough Riders series.

UTC: The character that really really intrigued (and by intrigued I mean made me hot) was Ben, Chase's older brother, will he be getting a book, and if so when!? I wanna see what he does with that collar and chain!

Ah, Ben. Well, I gave you a little bit of a teaser above. But yes, I'm working on Ben's book, titled COWBOY CASANOVA, and it will release on Dec. 6th. And just to be clear, Ben's lady is not someone I've hinted at in previous RR books.

UTC: Another character that I liked, although she was only in it briefly was Winnie, I loved that she called Chase on his BS (for a minute I thought they were gonna be getting together!) Is she going to feature on future books, or hook up with anyone?

I know a lot of readers thought Chase would end up with his publicist after his lewd comment to her in COWGIRLS DON'T CRY, but I knew the minute Ava appeared on the page she'd be perfect for Chase. So no, Winnie's appearance was a one time thing.

UTC: What do you think of bull riding and the rodeo, are you a big fan?

I'm a huge rodeo fan and attend as many local rodeos as possible, as well as hitting some away from home. This year I attended the Houston rodeo, with several of my beloved James Gang members, and I'll be in Cheyenne the end of the month for Cheyenne Frontier Days. Next year I'm hoping to get to the San Antonio rodeo and the Pendelton Round Up.

Viva la cowboys!!!!!!

This giveaway, open across the board, internationally will be a free book, either in ebook or in print, winner's choice.

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