* Jacquelyn Frank: Author Override | UTC Reviews
* Skye Warren: Author Override
* Narrator Lorelei King: Interview
* Stephanie Tyler: Interview
* Carolyn Crane: Author Override | UTC Review
* J.T. Geissinger: Interview | UTC Review
* Men and Women of the Military Giveaway Hop
* Keri Arthur: Interview | UTC Reviews

Thursday 10 May 2012

Interview and Giveaway with Elle Kennedy

Elle Kennedy

Hello Maidens!  We are very excited to have here today Ms. Elle Kennedy.  She just released the first book in a new romantic suspense series that you all have to check out!  Lets give her a warm welcome!

MIDNIGHT RESCUE is the first book of your new Killer Instincts novel. Can you tell us a bit about it?Midnight Rescue centers around Abby Sinclair, an assassin who blows her cover in order to rescue a group of victimized girls. However, before she can follow through on that goal, she’s rescued by Kane Woodland, a sexy mercenary who’s been recruited by Abby’s boss to save the captured assassin. Abby and Kane eventually team up to save those girls, and as they work together, the attraction between them is impossible to fight.

BORN TO BE WILD is book 3 in your Welcome to Paradise series. What was the hardest part about writing this book? What was the easiest?The hardest part about Born to be Wild was making the hero likable! Jake Bishop is a bit of a bad boy. He doesn’t give a damn what anybody thinks of him, and there were times when he would come off as too insolent or insensitive—that was definitely something I needed to balance with his sweeter side. The easiest part, ironically, was writing Jake as that bad boy! It’s always fun to write a hero who isn’t afraid to say exactly what’s on his mind and doesn’t sugarcoat a thing.


You also have HOT AND BOTHERED from the Out of Uniform series. This is three short stories in one. Can you tell us about each story?
Heat of the Moment was originally meant to be a short story for a summer anthology. It takes place during a heatwave, when the heroine, Shelby, finally decides to seduce her long-time crush, Navy SEAL Garrett. She ends up getting more than she bargained for—a threesome with Garrett and his buddy Carson.

Now, the character of Carson was so popular that my inbox was full of reader emails asking when he was getting his own story. And that’s how the Out of Uniform came to be. In Heat of Passion, Carson is ready to settle down and determined to do it with Holly, a quirky brunette he indulges in a one-night-stand with, only to run into her again at Shelby and Garrett’s wedding.

Heat of the Storm features another member of Garrett and Carson’s SEAL team, Will Charleston, who has been in love with his best friend Mackenzie for years, and is now ready to claim the woman he loves.

HOT AND BOTHERED includes these three novellas, and next year HOT AND HEAVY will be released, which features the next three Out of Uniform books.

After reading Midnight Rescue I am very interested in finding out more about Morgan. Do you have plans of writing his book?
Definitely. Morgan is complex, mysterious and alpha to the core—of course he needs his own book!


What made you decide to write romantic suspense?
I love reading books that have a combination of action-packed scenes and sizzling romance, so it’s only natural that I’d love writing them. Romantic suspense lets you take risks, and with the Killer Instincts series, I’m definitely taking some risks. The books are a lot darker than what I normally write.

Your heroine Abby has had a very traumatic past and has issues to overcome, while your hero Kane is not so tortured. What do you think is key in finding the perfect balance when writing a couple that can compliment each other?
I try to give each character something important that they can offer the other. In Abby and Kane’s case, Kane pushes Abby to let go of her traumatic past, to open up and feel something. He comes off as harsh at times, but he’s not cruel—he understands that if Abby doesn’t get a little push, she’ll never open up to him, or anyone for that matter. Abby, in turn, allows Kane to be more tender than he usually is with women. She’s definitely his equal, and that’s something he’s never experienced in a relationship either.


Is there one particular heroine in your books that you most identify with?
That’s a tough one. I’m a lot like Annabelle from Heat of the Night, in terms of how incredibly sarcastic she is, and Jane from Heat It Up, because she just blurts out whatever is on her mind. I also really identify with Marley from Witness Seduction—she tries so hard to be positive about everything, even when her life is full of negatives at the moment. I try to maintain that level of optimism in my own life.

Can you give us a peek into the day of a writer? Do you write every day? If so, for how long?
My writing life is not at all glamorous. I wake up, have some breakfast, and try to force my brain into gear. Then I sit down in my office and write—whether I want to or not. If I’m not feeling motivated, then TOUGH LUCK, because when I’m on a deadline, I have no choice but to write. Fortunately, most times the book I’m writing doesn’t give me any problems so I have a lot of fun with it. Other times, the book will be driving me nuts by going in a direction it shouldn’t.

I don’t have set hours, but I do give myself a word quota to meet every day. If it takes two hours to meet that quota, great. If it takes twelve, TOUGH LUCK! I usually try to take one or two days off every week, but that doesn’t always pan out. For the last three months, I’ve pretty much been working seven days a week, 7-10 hours a day. Gulp.

Thank you so much for spending time with us and answering all our questions.  We are looking forward to your next book already!



Dangerous. Ruthless. Savage. And she's the good guy.
Abby Sinclair had a desperate childhood until she was rescued and adopted by a retired army ranger who molded her into a master of self-defense. Now, she's a cunning and fearless assassin thrust into assignment after dangerous assignment, using everything she has-nerve, resilience, strength, sex-to come out on top. Her only rule: trust no one.
Abby's latest assignment is in Columbia: go undercover and snuff out a dangerous arms dealer active in the underground sex trade. But when Abby purposely blows her cover in a last-ditch attempt to free the helpless victims, deadly mercenary Kane Woodland is recruited as back-up. His mission: get Abby out of that hell hole.

The last thing Kane expects is to feel a primal attraction for Abby. But when she convinces him to join her on her perilous mission, their newfound passion could put the lives of their whole team at risk.


Signet Eclipse is graciously offering TWO copies of Midnight Rescue to some lucky US maidens!

To enter:

1. Be a follower
2. Fill out the form below

24 comments:

Lexi said...

I have to say, I love the titles of your books!
And the plot line really snagged my interest, she blows her cover (for a good cause) and then gets saved by this sexy skilled man. Love it!

Book Savvy Babe said...

awesome interview, I am adding several books to my TBR :) Thanks so much for the contest, Book Savvy Babe

Cathy M said...

Love getting to know a new to me author that writes stories that I enjoy reading.

books4me said...

Wow, Elle is a VERY busy author with all the series she has going! I absolutely love romantic suspense books so will be checking out her books!

elizabeth said...

This sounds like a very good book. Haven't read many books with female assassins. Will have to add it to the tbr pile. And this is a new author to add to my ever-growing collection.

Thanks for the giveaway,

Elizabeth Gray
elizabethgr@sbcglobal.net

Harlie Williams said...

You absolutely rock Elle. Congratulations on your new release and series!

Marika
maw1725@gmail.com

Maria D. said...

I have a copy of Midnight Rescue so I'm not entering the contest! I can't wait to read this book, I've loved everything I've read by Elle! Congratulations on the new series.

Anonymous said...

I really like the sound of this book. I like assassins and mercenaries in books and movies. Thanks!

Laurie said...

This is a new author for me, thanks for the interview! More for my reading list!

Unknown said...

Wow, it's not everyday you have a heroine like this. I'm hoping to win this first book so I can read the others.

Phoenix Carvelli said...

I love the strong leading ladies! Thank you so much for the information on the various series. The new series sounds great! I can't wait to read the first installment!
Happy writing and reading!
Phoenix
PhoenixCarvelli at gmail dot com

Jane said...

Congrats on the new release and series, Elle. I've been a fan of your erotic romances for a while now.

Fedora said...

Thanks for the lovely interview--always a treat to get a peek at the writer of such fabulous stories!

Barbara said...

GREAT interview...Congrats on the new release! Sounds like a fab beginning to a wonderful new series...can't wait to read more! Thx UTC for the intro to another 'new to me' author! :)

barbbattaglia @ yahoo.com

Susan W. said...

Great interview! These books sound good!

Kassandra said...

I enjoy reading a strong woman that can compliment our preferred alpha men in books.

sionedkla@gmail.com

Di said...

I love a physically strong woman who can kick butt - then I want her to get her HEA.

Anonymous said...

Hey everyone! I'm so late to chime in tonight--was running errands earlier and somehow lost track of time. It's now midnight here, and I'm enjoying reading all these comments.

Thanks for the congrats on the release! And yes, books4me, I am VERY busy with all these books, but writing them all has been super fun :)

Christi said...

I'm really looking forward to reading this book. It sounds amazing and the reviews are all fabulous! smiles....

SdyLion said...

The books look really interesting and I love the covers. You just made my next shopping trip to the book-store. sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com

Marlene Harris said...

I really want to read this Midnight Rescue. I put it On My Wishlist a couple of weeks ago because it sounded so good!

Allison W said...

Awesome interview! I'm now adding you to my TBR list... :)

nikki.t.23 said...

I love Ms. Kennedy's books! Great interview!

Christine said...

I haven't read any of her books as of yet, but from what I have read courtesy of the interview with her, I'm going to be hunting down her books ASAP.