Interview and Giveaway with Mari Carr

It's time to have fun!!!  We are so excited to have the talented Mari Carr today with us and share with you this interview.  If you haven't yet, then you have to read her books!  Please help us welcome Mari Carr to UTC today!!

And we had a chance to catch up with Mari Carr and ask her what she does under the covers, here's what she had to say...

You have some experience writing with other authors. What are some challenges and some advantages of writing with someone else, and how does the process work? Is it different with each author you collaborate?

I have worked on two co-written series and both experiences have been great. Jayne Rylon and I collaborated on the Compass Brothers series and we’ve just started working on the sequel series, the Compass Girls. That’s right! The four boys grew up and had daughters! Jayne and I sat down at the Romantic Times convention to discuss the characters and the overarching plotline. We pitched it to Samhain and they bought it! This month, I’m hard at work on the first book, Winter’s Thaw. It’s tentatively scheduled for a February 2013 release.

I’m also in the midst of working with Lexxie Couper on the Foreign Affairs series. I will admit Lexxie might be one of the most hilarious gals on the planet. Writing with her is too much fun to be considered work. We’ve completed books 1 and 2. Misplaced Princess is out now, Misplaced Cowboy is coming out August 15 and we’re about to start work on the next two stories, Misplaced Lessons and Misplaced Hands. The stories seem to get hotter as we go along. Misplaced Lessons will feature a BDSM theme and Hands is ménage mania!

Of ANY book character, who would you want to have a date with?

Jamie Fraser in Outlander. That man melts my butter!

And which female character in ANY book would you take out for a drink?

Stephanie Plum in the Evanovich series. I think she’s hilarious and I’d truly love to follow her around for just one day.

Is there one particular heroine in your books that you most identify with?

Oh wow. Tough question. I think all of my heroines contain some small part of me. I’m going to cheat and choose the three Collins daughters in the Wild Irish series. I have Keira’s fantasies, the same taste in music as Teagan and I wish I had the nerve to be more like Riley.

Many authors get their ideas from everyday life. Do you have a story to share where your real-life experience has influenced your writing?

I actually have one book that could sort of get me in trouble if the guys at work ever find out I’m an erotic romance writer! Happy Hour is very closely based on a group of people I work with. We do lots of happy hours together and one night after a particularly fun party, I thought “I should write about these guys. They’re all such characters!” So…I wrote the book and let’s just say…the only fictional parts are all the sex scenes! The rest--with the singing, funny jokes, bad dancing, griping about work, throwing stuff at each other, trash talking--is true, true, true.

If you could write a warning label for yourself as a person or an author, what would it say?

Caution: This woman does not take life or herself too seriously. Only sit next to her if you enjoy sarcastic humor.

If you had to pick one of your books as a favorite, which one would it be and why?

Ugh! Hardest question EVER! I’ve answered this several times before and I think my answer has changed every time. Usually my response is the last book I wrote and that’s going to hold true here. I recently finished writing a book called Fix You. It’s been contracted by Samhain and it will release *I think* in December. It’s the first in a six book series called Second Chances. I’ve watched a lot of friends reach crossroads in the past couple of years and as I’ve tried to help them through difficult times, it inspired this series of books. The first one, Fix You, is about a young woman, Zoey, who turns 35, goes in for her baseline mammogram and discovers she has breast cancer. Not only does it open her eyes to how much she’s taken for granted in life, it serves as a wake-up call for her best friend, Rob, who realizes he’s in love with her.

MISPLACED PRINCESS released just last month. Congrats! For people that haven't read it yet, can you tell us a bit about it?

This book is the first in a series that the incredibly creative Lexxie Couper came up with. She emailed me and said “Hey. What if I write about an Aussie cowboy who comes to America to meet your princess only to discover his princess is in Oz looking for him? And what if they fall in love with other people as they try to make their way back to each other?” Who in the heck is going to say no to that??? I said what I always say to Lexxie. This is brilliant! The stories are sexy and funny and believe me, I learned a lot about Australia and their dialect while writing them. Phew! I feel like I’m now fluent in a new language!

We know they are all yummy but do you have a favorite type of hero or story to write about? Cowboys, cops, irishmen, rockstars...?

You would think with as many cowboys as I write that would be my answer, but it’s not. I really think my ultimate hero is the alpha male. His profession doesn’t matter at all. I like men who treat their heroines as equals, while putting them on a pedestal and rocking their world in bed. Oh…and they must have a sense of humor!

What are some projects you are working on now and what's coming next for Mari Carr?

Right now…I’m starting two new series, Compass Girls and Second Chances and finishing two series, Cocktales and Foreign Affairs. My release schedule for the rest of the year as well as my writing list is set. Misplaced Cowboy will come out on August 15, Bachelor’s Bait will *hopefully* release at the end of the year as will Fix You. In terms of writing, I hope to complete Winter’s Thaw, Misplaced Lessons, Screaming Orgasm and Full Moon before the ball drops to ring in 2013!

We are asking authors participating in the event to share a favorite drink recipe with readers. Do you have one you'd like to share?

JUST ONE??? Man…I hate limitations. Hee hee. Okay…I’ll introduce you to the Dream Machine shot. It’s quite simple. Lick of salt, shot of Patron Silver tequila, chased with cotton candy. Trust me. Try it. I’ve converted lots of nay-sayers into believers.

How about an excerpt from Misplaced Princess?

Hunter ran his finger down the pretty blonde’s arm, enjoying the flirting and easy banter. He’d hit the bar after seeing his idiot brother off at his gate. They’d flown the station helicopter to Sydney, leaving so early this morning it had still been dark. Hunter had a couple of hours to kill while he waited for the flight mechanic to refuel the chopper and clear him for take off.

“So you live on a cattle station?” the blonde asked. He’d forgotten her name the second she’d said it. One of these days he was going to have to learn to pay attention to details like that.

“Yep. Farpoint Creek. My family’s owned it forever. Established it back in the 1800s.”

The woman feigned interest, but Hunter could see the disdain in her eyes. She was clearly a city girl and the idea of living out whoop whoop in the Outback was less than appealing to her. Lucky for both of them, he wasn’t considering taking this game of slap and tickle out of the airport.

She leaned closer, accidentally brushing the side of his arm with her breast. They’d started their flirting at different tables. Then he’d joined her. After a few minutes of sexual innuendoes, he’d given up his seat across the table and moved over to share her side of the booth.

“You know, I’m a member of the Qantas Club.”

“Is that right?” he asked.

“I was actually thinking of heading over there and freshening up before my flight. They have showers in the lounge.”

“Showers, eh? Bit bloody fancy.”

She dragged her hand along his leg, starting at his knee and working her way up. He liked a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to grab it. His dick twitched when her hand crept closer.

“Wish I had someone to wash my back,” she purred.

He started to offer his sudsy services, but something on the PA caught his attention. “What did she say?”

“What did who say?”

The PA announcement was repeated. Dylan Sullivan, please meet your party at the customer service desk located at terminal one.

What the hell? Dylan wasn’t here. At least, he bloody well shouldn’t be.

Hunter reluctantly pushed the woman away while silently cursing his brother. “Sorry, love, but I gotta go do something.” Dylan would pay dearly for costing him a shower with this beauty in the high flyer’s club. He retrieved his hat from the table and put it back on his head.

“You’re leaving?”

Hunter nodded regretfully. “Yeah. Afraid it can’t be helped.” He threw enough cash on the table to cover both of their drinks and a generous tip for the waitress. “Sorry.”

He walked toward terminal one, trying to figure out why Dylan wasn’t jetting away from Sydney, getting closer to making one of the dumbest mistakes of his life. He’d loaded his brother on a plane headed for New York over an hour ago.

Hunter had spent most of their morning trek to Sydney trying to convince Dylan that taking off halfway around the world to hook up with some broad he’d met on one of those stupid online dating services made him look pretty desperate.

He’d also pointed out that precious little could come of this trip, besides getting a piece of New York tail. Dylan lived and worked on Farpoint Creek cattle station. In Australia. Trying to hook up with some American chick wasn’t exactly practical.

Dylan, ever the romantic idiot, seemed to think Annie had the potential to be his soul mate. Jesus, his brother had actually used those words—soul mate—and was supposed to be headed to New York to prove that asinine fact.

Had Dylan missed his plane? Hunter couldn’t figure out how. They’d made it to the departure gate in plenty of time. And if so, why would he page himself rather than ask the customer service rep to page Hunter? Maybe Dylan had given his own name as well and the lady had fucked it up.

He glanced at the crowd standing around the service desk as he walked toward the terminal. He and Dylan weren’t lacking in the height department. If his dickhead brother was around, he sure as hell wasn’t standing up; he’d tower over these people. Add the fact he and Dylan hardly ever took off their bloody hats and Hunter should be able to spot him a mile away.

He started to get in line at the desk to ask who’d paged Dylan when a woman walked up to him.

“You’re here!” she said.

Hunter tried to place the woman’s face. She looked vaguely familiar. “I am?” His mother claimed he’d been cursed with a sarcastic streak as wide as Farpoint since the day he was born. While his mum found it annoying, Hunter had never found a good reason to curb that personality trait.

The pretty woman smiled. “I was starting to worry.”

Before he could tell her she had the wrong bloke and should go ahead and hang on to her anxiety, she took a step closer and threw her arms around him.

The hard-on Hunter had managed to batten down as he’d walked away from his potential shower partner reemerged when her firm breasts brushed against his chest. Bloody hell. Who knew the airport was such a great place to pick up women? He might have to fly to Sydney International more often.

Never one to pass up an opportunity, he accepted the embrace, loosely wrapping his arms around her back. The lovely lady was just the right height for him and had some sexy curves. He liked a woman with meat on her bones.

She pulled away slightly and he started to release her, but she kept her arms wrapped around him and upped the ante, kissing him.

It started as a sweet, friendly kiss, but Hunter wasn’t having any of that shit. She smelled and tasted too good. He grasped her soft face and held her close. He turned his head and deepened the kiss, pressing her lips open so he could get an even better taste. He was thrilled when her tongue met his halfway. Jesus. This chick could kiss.

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