Author Interview: Cari Quinn

Please welcome today's special guest, erotic romance author Cari Quinn. Be sure to ask lots of questions and leave comments. I'll check in when I get home from my day job. Perhaps I can convince my new minions to pop in from time to time to keep everybody company. If they wake up before dinner time...

Ashley: Why do you write (erotic) romance?

Cari: The main reason is I enjoy pushing boundaries, and it’s really freeing to know anything goes (within reason.) I also think erotic romance is a great way to show a couple’s changing relationship. Advancing the plot through sex can be very fun.


Ashley: What romance subgenres do you write in? Why?

Cari: Mainly contemporary, but I do have paranormal and urban fantasy stories in the works.


Ashley: Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?

Cari: Definitely. The one that appears most often is self-acceptance needing to occur before you can find love with another.


Ashley: What would you like readers to take away from your stories?

Cari: I’d love a reader to be able to escape for a little while into a world I created. If I can give someone a little happiness, that is just wonderful to me.


Ashley: What inspires your stories?

Cari: Everyday life. A billboard on the highway can give me a story idea, which is probably why I have approximately 10 WIPs!


Ashley: Will you be attending any book or writing conferences this year? If yes, which
ones? Where and when?

Cari: No, not this year, but I’m hoping to attend RWA ’11 in NYC.


Ashley: Do you have any book signings or author appearances coming soon? If yes, where and when?

Cari: Not at this time. The idea terrifies me a bit!


Ashley: What is your writing schedule?

Cari: I don’t have a set schedule, but I tend to write in fits and spurts. I won’t write for a week or two then churn out 20K in a week. I continually try to get myself on a more regular schedule but with a day job, it’s not always easy.


Ashley: Do you have any other passions besides writing? If yes, what is it? Why?

Cari: Music is my biggest passion. I dream about songs all the time and wake up with them playing in my head. Music influences and feeds my work and I have trouble writing when I don’t have my tunes playing.


Ashley: What is the best memory?

Cari: Right now, I’d probably say getting my first book contract from TWRP. It was a dream I wasn’t sure I’d ever bring to fruition, so it was really special for me. But there are always new dreams to strive for.


Ashley: What is your favorite comfort food?

Cari: Coffee, without a doubt. It’s my liquid security blanket.


Ashley: What relaxes you?

Cari: Listening to music and reading a good book. Sheer heaven.


Ashley: What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

Cari: Buying lots and lots of books from Ellora’s Cave! It’s a good thing I recently sold to them, because I spend a lot of money there!


Ashley: What decade has been your favorite? Why?

Cari: The 70s. Love, love, love the music and the movies/TV shows. They bring back fond memories of my childhood.


Ashley: What is your favorite way to promote?

Cari: Talking to people. I’m not fond of the hard sell, as necessary as it seems sometimes.


Ashley: Where is your favorite place to write? Why?

Cari: Since I don’t have a laptop, my desk at home is where I write. Though I actually like writing at work, too, and find it easier to concentrate there for some odd reason.


Ashley: What is your favorite fairy tale? Why?

Cari: I never read many fairy tales. Shocking for a writer, probably. Probably Hansel & Gretel, but that’s just because I liked the idea of a house made of sweets!


Ashley: What was your favorite vacation?

Cari: NYC. The movement of the city is exciting and invigorating. That atmosphere gave me tons of ideas for stories and I never wanted to leave.


Ashley: If you had another career, what was it?

Cari: I’m a proofreader and graphic designer at a newspaper. It’s a related career in a lot of ways, and luckily I get to be pretty creative in that job too.


Ashley: If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?

Cari: I have no idea. It’d probably spend all my time pining for the singing career I dreamed about but didn’t pursue.


Ashley: If you could have one wish, what would it be?

Cari: Excellent health for myself and those I love.


Ashley: If you could describe yourself in only one word, what would it be?

Cari: Tenacious.


Ashley: Who is your favorite American Idol contestant this year? Why?

Cari: I don’t watch it, but I am waiting for Dancing With The Stars to start again.


Ashley: Are you a cat or dog person? Do you have any pets and if so, please tell us about them.

Cari: Both, with a slight leaning toward cats. I always liked cats a lot more than dogs, but lately I’m enjoying playing with friends’ dogs a lot. My tabby cat Fozzie is my baby. My books aren’t my babies, but my cat sure is. And he knows it too!


Ashley: What is the one thing you most want to do that you haven’t yet?

Cari: Hmm, travel. Right now I’d settle for returning to NYC for a few days. I miss Times Square!


Ashley: Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it.

Cari: Ex Appeal released June 25th from The Wild Rose Press’ Wilder Roses. Here’s the blurb and an excerpt:

As the webmistress for one of the Northeast’s hottest dating sites, Hunk Du Jour, Jenny Talbot is no stranger to reading the applications of potential clients. But when the latest application that crosses her inbox belongs to Ty Randall, the guy she broke up with a mere twenty-seven days ago, she does a double take. Reading what Ty wants in bed not only gets Jenny hot, it also makes her rethink ending their relationship. All she longed for was a little more spice in the bedroom—okay, a lot more—but he let her go without an argument. Faced with the possibility that Ty may really be moving on, getting her ex back becomes more appealing than ever. But will revealing exactly what she needs allow Jenny to finally experience ultimate pleasure or will she drive away the man she loves for good?

Ty inhaled deeply. His head swam at the scent that filled his nostrils, an aroma that was all Jenny. His fingers clenched on the doorframe above his head as he took in the sight of her lying nude on the bed. God, she was beautiful. Her golden skin glowed under the track lighting, and her wet pink lips pursed as she concentrated on what she was doing. The pain that had seized him moments ago when he'd walked in the unlocked door and heard her moans coming from the bedroom faded away in a flood of lust.

He couldn’t stop the sound that escaped him. Part groan, part growl, all need. Her gaze swung toward the door, her pupils widening until her hazel irises all but disappeared. He met her eyes briefly, electrically, before he deliberately shifted his attention back between her thighs.

Abruptly, her movements stilled.

They stared at each other in silent challenge. Her flushed face reddened even more, the color inching all the way up to her hairline. She’d always been a blusher, but he hadn’t seen that reaction from her in too many years to count. It had been a long time since he’d flustered her, and he liked it.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Hello, awkward. But in spite of the strained circumstance of their reunion, he only wanted one thing.

For her to finish.

“Don’t stop,” he murmured.



Ashley: Please give us your urls and your publisher’s url.


Cari: If you’re interested in buying either Ex Appeal (or Full Disclosure, the first book in the Hunk Du Jour series) they’re available on TWRP’s Wilder Roses site:

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/wilderroses/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=182&products_id=778 or on Amazon Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Ex-Appeal-ebook/dp/B003U4WA7Y%3FSubscriptionId%3D0V4JT1H35KWYMF0SKQR2%26tag%3Dspea06-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB003U4WA7Y

The best ways to find me are on my personal blog: http://cariquinn.blogspot.com/ or on Facebook or Twitter under the name Cari Quinn (shocking, I know.) I’m in the process of putting together my first website, so feel free to check out www.cariquinn.com soon.

Ashley: Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers? Please do so here.

Cari: Just that I appreciate every person who gives my stories a try and thank them from the bottom of my heart for helping me make a dream come true.

Thanks so much for having me here today, Ashley! It’s been a lot of fun.

You're very welcome, Cari. I so loved visiting with you. Come again soon.

Ashley