Interviews

What I wish I’d said…Get the scoop on Claire Johnson #EroticRomance #LaterInLife #MFRWAuthor

June 27, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

Characters in novels seem to always have the perfect witty comment at the tip of their tongues. I was wishing for that skill the other morning, and the exchange made me think of our latest heroine, who would have done far better than I. She was just interviewed over at the Romance Lives Forever Blog. You won’t want to miss her snappy repartee!

I was at our small town’s local market picking up eggs and tortillas. When I came to the cashier line, a good-looking Afro-American man in dreads motioned me to get in front of him; I’m sure he was at least two or three decades younger than I. I thanked him, and then he said “May I give you a compliment? I really like your hairstyle.” I thanked him for that as well and added, “and I really like dreads, so we’re even,” and he laughed.

What I wish I’d said? “I’m lucky enough to be old and gray, so I like to look sharp.”

I know that’s what Claire Johnson would have said – though since she tints her blonde hair to hide the gray, it wouldn’t have quite fit for her.

She and I have so many characteristics in common. I’ve loved writing her story in Ripening Passion (and her role in book one, Smoldering Passion) and am sorry she only plays a minor role in book three, coming August 18. She’ll be hard to let go of. She and I are both trim, look good for our age, take pride in what we look like, and are dedicated to health and fitness. I can’t claim to be as svelte as she is – I must be at least ten inches shorter. And I will say I’ve never cultivated the icy exterior she’s so skilled at. Oh, perhaps I should add another difference – I’ve never had sex on camera.

It’s been a great pleasure being inside her head and above all having the time to come up with her witty responses as her ice starts to melt. She’s recently been interviewed at a couple blog spots, so I thought I’d throw in one of her responses here (and thank you, Kayelle Allen, for this interview question):

Please provide a physical description of yourself.

Claire: Thank you for asking – call me vain if you like, but I’m really proud of the fact that I can still turn heads at age 59. I’m a tall trim blonde, and yes, I do touch up my hair color a tad. I used to keep a severe short hairstyle, but I’ve let it grow out a bit. By now I can rely on my presence and my stature to intimidate when I need to. Did I mention trim? I work out and I watch what I eat.

You can catch Claire’s entire interview HERE, and of course I hope we’ve tempted you into checking out Ripening Passion at this link:

BUY LINK

UNIVERSAL BOOK LINK

https://books2read.com/u/4D82BP

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Ripening Passion

Series: Passion Series, Book Two
Author: Adriana Kraft
Published by: eXtasy Books
ISBN: 978-1-4874-3813-5
Length: 254 pages, 75813 words
Publication Date: June 2, 2023
Genres: Erotic Romance, LGBTQIA, Contemporary Romance
Tags: Menage, Bisexual, New York City, Later in Life
Heat Level: Four Flames
Pairings: MF, FF, FFF, FMF, MFM

BLURB

Can Max melt the Ice Queen? Should he even try?

Claire Johnson’s dedication to sex—the cornerstone of her career—led her to help found the Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. Now in her fifties, she knows the Center must keep pace with the rapidly growing Baby Boomer market, so she agrees to go back on camera for a series on sex and aging. But work with her nemesis?

Former English Professor Max Wilson has championed the cause of the Center ever since his now deceased wife sought the Center’s help to rekindle the nearly extinguished sexual flames of their relationship. He loves working on camera and welcomes the challenge to perform with the svelte but icy temptress.

Sparks fly immediately on and off camera. The jury is out on whether either Max or Claire can transform those sparks into a fire of sexual desire for their viewers—let alone for each other.

Blog Tour: Peacemaker by Morgan Brice @MorganBriceBook #Giveaway #Steampunk #MM #Romance #Interview

May 1, 2023 by Adriana Kraft

Book Title: Peacemaker (Sharps & Springfield #1)

Author: Morgan Brice

Publisher: Darkwind Press

Cover Artist: Deranged Doctor Design

Release Date: March 25, 2023

Genre: Steampunk MM romance

Tropes: Secret agents, co-workers to lovers, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, mistaken identity

Themes: Learning to love again, taking a chance on love

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 249 pages

It is a standalone book and the first in a new series. It does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Nook | Kobo

Secret agents, forbidden love, danger, and magic!

Blurb

Supernatural Secret Service agents Owen Sharps and Calvin Springfield meet on the train to their new assignment in St. Louis, and sparks fly between them. But it’s 1897, and they need to be very careful—falling in love can be dangerous for men like them.

It’s their first case together, investigating mysterious disappearances—including the two agents who preceded them. Grim evidence leads them to look for a darker purpose. Old ghosts haunt the railroad line, zombie rise, signs point to ritual sacrifice, and they suspect someone is trying to open the gates of hell.

Can Calvin and Owen stop the mayhem, thwart the vampires, and find true love, or will everything go up in smoke?

Peacemaker is a high-stakes steampunk MM romance thrill ride filled with found family, paranormal Pinkertons, intrepid reporters, mysterious disappearances, nefarious land brokers, hellhounds, zombies, vengeful spirits, dark spells, absinthe magic, a ruthless vampire railroad baron and a love that won’t be denied.

Before Colt and Winchester, there was Sharps & Springfield!

Author Interview

Five random facts about the book/series.

The book is set in 1897, the same year that Dracula is published, and Owen is enjoying reading the new bestseller.
Fancy private passenger railroad cars, called Pullman Cars after the company that made them, were the private jets of their day. They could be very elaborate and extremely comfortable.
The TV show Wild Wild West was a favorite of mine and a definite influence, except that my MCs are *together*.
‘Sharps’ and ‘Springfield’ are brands of rifles.
Several side characters also show up in a big way in the Iron & Blood/Storm & Fury series written under our Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin name. Sharps and Springfield is set in the same fictional world and there will continue to be overlap.

What is your advice for new writers?

Don’t give up. It always takes longer than you expect.
Make friends with other writers. Be allies, not competitors.
Always keep learning—new software, new promotional techniques, new ways to write better, etc. There’s always something you can benefit from learning.
Do good research. Your readers will know if you get details wrong.
Invest in a good editor. Everyone needs to be edited.

Excerpt

September 1897

Chapter 1

Owen

Owen Sharps chuckled as he read his book on the train to St. Louis. He had been waiting to get a copy of Dracula, the sensational new book from England, and had found one in a New Pittsburgh bookstore before heading to the station.

It’s got flair, and I like how splashy Van Helsing is, but it’s obvious Stoker never fought a real vampire.

Owen had heard about the book and its growing reputation for being frightening and violent. So far nothing he’s written compares to being covered in blood in an ice-cold cemetery at midnight, hammering a stake through a vampire’s heart, and trying not to get bitten. Then again, maybe I have a skewed perspective.

“Pardon me, is this seat taken?” A drop-dead gorgeous man waited for an answer. He had raven black hair, bright blue eyes, and plush lips that filled Owen with impure thoughts. The stranger carried a suitcase and an overcoat, with a newspaper folded under his arm. Owen took one look and would have booted his granny to the cargo car to free up the seat for the man.

“It’s all yours.” Owen gave a dismissive wave, tearing his gaze away so he’d quit staring. It wouldn’t do to drool.

“I think this might be the last open seat on the train.” The man stowed his suitcase and coat, settling in across from Owen with his newspaper.

Owen couldn’t help giving him the once-over. He figured the man to be slightly shorter than his own six-foot-two inches, and from the cut of his suit jacket, he had a trim, muscular build. Owen made a mental note to be sure to get a glimpse of what was likely a prime ass when they left the train.

“Where are you headed?” Owen thought that a little conversation couldn’t hurt. He wanted to remember the man’s voice to go with his image on nights when he sought relief alone with his hand. This fellow would never know he’d been promoted to the lead in Owen’s secret fantasies. Owen particularly liked the contrast between the man’s dark hair and athletic body to his own rangy build, blond hair, fair skin, and green eyes.

“St. Louis.” The man returned Owen’s scrutiny with an assessing gaze.

Owen sat up a bit straighter, oddly wanting to make a good impression on this person he was unlikely to see again. He felt the weight of the man’s inspection, which made him wonder. Is he a cop? Private investigator? Or maybe…like me?

They were both dressed equally well in suits that were department store quality but not bespoke. The stranger’s hair was fairly short but more fashionable than military, and he was clean-shaven. Owen wondered what a hint of dark stubble might do to heighten those high cheekbones and accentuate the impossibly blue eyes, and he felt himself chub in his pants.

None of that, he admonished silently. It wouldn’t do to raise suspicion. He probably just wants to make sure I’m not the sort to steal his suitcase when he’s not looking.

“I’m headed there myself,” Owen said. “Business or pleasure?”

The man looked amused at the question but not annoyed, which boded well. “Business. You?”

Owen nodded, surprised that he wanted to continue the conversa- tion instead of returning to his book. “The same. I’ve heard the food there is good, but I doubt I’ll have time to do any exploring.” He found himself at ease with the stranger. “Will you be staying in the city, or going on from there?”

“I’ll meet with my boss, but I spend most of my time traveling,” the fellow replied. “I don’t get to stay long in any one place.”

So we have that in common too. Makes it unlikely that we might meet up again the next time I come back to St. Louis. “Me, too. I’m a bit of a rolling stone.”

About the Author

Morgan Brice is the romance pen name of bestselling author Gail Z. Martin. Morgan writes urban fantasy male/male paranormal romance, with plenty of action, adventure and supernatural thrills to go with the happily ever after. Gail writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and together with co-author hubby Larry N. Martin, steampunk and comedic horror, all of which have less romance, more explosions. Characters from her Gail books make frequent appearances in secondary roles in her Morgan books, and vice versa.

On the rare occasions Morgan isn’t writing, she’s either reading, cooking, or spoiling two very pampered dogs.

Series include Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow. Watch for more in these series, plus new series coming soon!

Author Links

Website | Audible Profile | Amazon profile

Facebook Group | Facebook Page

Pinterest (for Morgan and Gail) | Twitter

BookBub | Instagram

Read a copy of my Badlands short story Restless Nights here for free

Giveaway

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Adriana Tells All…#AuthorIntreview #EroticRomance #MFRWAuthor

January 24, 2022 by Adriana Kraft

…well not really all, but almost!

If bad things happen in threes, maybe good things come in twos.

Mr. Kraft and I have been actively promoting our most recent release, I Am Not for Sale, and we signed up for a pair of interview opportunities that were published just three days apart. Sometimes we find author interview questions boring – who really wants to know that stuff? But each of these, in its own way, was unique, thought-provoking for us, and gave us a window to share stuff we’re usually not public about.

We hope you like them!

Friday, January 14, we were guests at Seelie Kay’s Loft. If you’re not familiar with Seelie, she’s a fellow Extasy Books author, and we love both her feisty (sexy) lawyer series and her new vampire series (equally sexy). Here’s a snippet from our interview:

Joining me today in The Loft is the husband-wife writing team that goes by the name of Adriana Kraft. Breaking the mold of staid, fusty academics, the retired professors write erotic romance.

How did you meet your current partner? When did you know he was “the one?”

A: I was a graduate student and entry-level faculty member when he was hired onto the faculty of the program I worked in. I remember going, “Wow,” when I first saw him at the fall university gathering where new faculty were introduced. Evidently several other women did, too… In any case, the more we worked together, the more I liked him, and by the end of the academic year–with a push from one of our co-workers–he asked me out. We were married a year later, on the summer solstice. We’re still in love. Writing romance together both grows from and feeds into that love.

Then on Monday, January 17, we were guests Around the Campfire with D. V. Stone, an author we’ve just met, under her pen name Alana Lorens. We know you’ll like her most recent release, A Rose by any other Name, featured in our blog post earlier this month. I’ve downloaded this book and can’t wait to read it.

Here’s an excerpt from our interview:

What interests besides writing do you enjoy? For instance, what do you read or hobbies you have?

A: First, let me say how much we love the title of your “Around the Campfire” blog – we’ve always loved the outdoors, and we were each avid tent campers before we met. We took my husband’s three boys along on our honeymoon camping trip to the Rockies, and when we later lived in the west, often took advantage of the nearby forested mountains. I’ve attached a photo from one of those trips to the high Uintas.

When we lived in northern Minnesota, we tramped down a mile-long cross-country ski trail with our snowshoes and even skied it by moonlight one frosty night (as in twenty below…). Here in Arizona, we still love hiking, and we especially love exploring the many historic native sites across the state.

I hope you’ll check out our interviews and those authors!