Just in time for her latest book release, The Bear
Project, on Thursday, I have the lovely and talented Doris O’Connor with me
today.
Q:
Tell us
something about yourself and how you got into writing?
A: Thanks so much for having me here today :)
What can I say about lil old me? I'm a
multi-published and dare I say it, bestselling Erotic Author of all things
naughty. I still have to pinch myself at times, when I say that. To think that
readers and publishers alike enjoy the imaginings of my murky mind is humbling
and terrifying and awesome all rolled into one. After, all, this is just me,
doing what I love. I've been spinning stories in my head all of my life, but it
was a writing competition back in 2010 that gave me the impetus to actually
start writing them down.
When I'm not writing, I'm managing a busy
household of eleven people, that is Hubby and myself and our brood of nine. The
eldest has now left home, but that still leaves eight of them, plus the dog, a
cat, and four gerbils.
We live in the UK and Hubby/Sir and I recently
celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. I write both contemporary and
paranormal stories, which nearly always have at least BDSM elements in them—I
can't think why….
*grins*
Q:
How long have you been writing?
A: I've been writing since September 2010, and been
published since November 2011 :)
Q: What
inspired you to write this book?
A: Inspiration is a funny thing, don't you think? At
least it is when you have a muse as unpredictable as mine seems to be.
A while back I wrote a flash, involving a wolf cub
sat in a mountain of clothes. The story went that this cub was the result of a
one night stand the heroine had had. At the time she had no idea that the sexy
guy she slept with was a shifter, until her adorable little girl shifted into a
wolf.
*grins*
When I wrote that, I had it in the back of mind that
this premise would make for a good story.
Then came a submission call for an Alpha Shifter anthology, and that idea reared its head again. Only this time round the shifter was a bear. Cole Jackson is the original bad boy, who picks Emmi up in a bar one night on the full moon and….
Bang, my muse went off on a tangent. I quickly realized that there was far too much story to tell and The Bear Project was born.
Q: Please briefly describe your book.
A: Here's the blurb:
When Animal conservationist Emmi Layne meets bad boy Cole Jackson there is no denying the instant lust between them. She has a thing for bears, after all. However, you cannot build a relationship on awesome sex alone, especially when you live on different continents, and have nothing in common.
Everything changes, when Emmi discovers that their night of passion has left her with more than erotic memories. She has no means of contacting him, even if she wanted to, but she hasn't counted on this bear shifter's determination.
Cole is not what he seems, and he will stop at nothing to claim what's his—even if that means breaking all the rules.
Can he trust the mating bond to deliver, or will it spell the end of an ancient blood line?
With the odds stacked against them, can this unlikely duo find happiness together?
Q: Who is your favorite character and why?
A: Cole without a doubt. He jumped into my head with this opening line:
"If he keeps you waiting, he's not worth waiting for, sugar."
I knew immediately that he was some sort of bad boy, with a deep southern American accent, which meant my heroine had to be on holiday, because I always place my stories in the UK.
In came that original idea of a one night stand with
a shifter, because I knew that's who he was immediately. He was too intense to
be anyone else, too intent on claiming her, and then there was that element of
immediate danger, because Emmi is very much in danger when she first meets
Cole.
Cole was such a delicious hero to write, because he
is very complex. Oh, he's sex-on-legs gorgeous, dominant, and decidedly foul
mouthed in the bedroom, but he's also loyal, and protective and you really
don't want to cross him.
Far from the drifter he appears to be, he's a man of wealth and position, and he's here to stay, for however long it takes to convince Emmi that she's his—come what may…
Q: This book is a sequel. Will there be a third book in the series?
A: Yes, there will be. Maria's story will be told in The Mating Project. Maria has been a favourite character since the first book, The Orgasm Project. Readers will get a hint of her story in The Bear Project.
Q: Any advice for those aspiring novelists out there?
A: Write, read, and write some more. Find *your* voice and never, ever give up. If writing is in your blood, you won't be able to anyway. :)
Rejection is never personal, though it will feel like that to you. Learn from it, act on any feedback, and then get right back on that horse.
Thanks for your time, Doris. I wish you success with The Bear Project and all your future work!
Thanks again for having me :)
STORY excerpt:
Emmi
yanked her hands out his grasp, and this time he let her with a sigh.
"I'm
sorry," he said.
"So,
you should be." She glared at him some more for good measure, but Emmi was
honest enough with herself to admit that he had a point. She had freaked out,
but not once had it occurred to her to not have the baby.
"I
could never get rid of the baby. It's not his fault."
"His?"
Cole asked with a tender smile, which made Emmi glad she was still sitting
down.
"Well,
the doctor says it's too early to tell the sex, but everyone keeps saying he's
a boy, so I kinda got used to the idea."
"Everyone
being?"
"Maria,
her brothers, and their mate. Every other goddamn shifter I've met recently.
You all seem to think it's perfectly acceptable to simply come up to me and
sniff me like some sort of dog, and announce that baby is a boy. I guess I
ought to be glad you don't sniff my butt like dogs. I'd never live that one down."
Cole
burst into laughter, and a little bubble of happiness popped in her chest. It
was good to see him laugh. He had been too much of a brooding presence in her
life for the last two weeks. This felt more like their time in Creek Fells
before it had all gone so horribly wrong.
"I
can see how that would be difficult to explain, sugar."
Cole
sobered and stood up. He towered over her, and her mouth went dry. She licked
her lips nervously when he rounded the breakfast bar and stared down on her.
The intensity of his gaze took her breath away, and her skin heated under his
silent regard.
"May
I?" he finally asked.
"Wh-what?"
"May
I say hello to my baby?"
"Oh,
right, err, yes sure, what…"
Words
failed her when Cole dropped to his knees in front of her and placed his large
hands on her abdomen. He tugged her pajama top up until he exposed her belly,
and all the air left her lungs when he inhaled against her skin. He stayed like
that for the longest time, not moving. The puffs of hot air against her abdomen
were the only movement in the room, until he kissed her and whispered something
unintelligible to her belly.
Warmth
spread through her body, and she tingled from top to toe. Cole straightened,
and she could have sworn she saw the sheen of unshed tears in his eyes, before
he blinked and the moment was lost.
"Thank
you, sugar."
Emmi
had to clear her throat several times before she could respond.
"You're
not going to impart your wisdom as to what I'm going to have then? After all
everyone else has had a shot."
Cole
smiled, and he seemed to grow an inch in front of her as his eyes flashed to
his bear's.
"You
have a very strong little bear in there, sugar, and I want you to know that I
heard everything you said to me. I will give you all the time you need to make
sure you can trust me, but know this. You are mine, and I will do
everything in my power to claim you. You and me, sugar, we belong together, and
the sooner you realize that, the better it will be for all of us. I'm here to
stay."
This releases on Jan 9th and for all buy links check out this link: http://www.dorisoconnor.com/the-bear-project.html
****
Author Bio:
Glutton for punishment would be a good description
for Doris... at least that's what she hears on an almost daily basis when
people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to
toddler and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children,
pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic
goddess she is not.
There is always something better to do after all,
like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even
more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her characters
tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris
burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and
quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps.
She likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales
involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get.
From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, and Ménage, haunting love stories
are guaranteed.
Stalking Links
Thanks again, Maya :-)
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