I sat down (virtually) with Alison Aimes for a short interview. Her latest release is Trapped: A SciFi Convict Romance (Book One in the Condemned Series)!
Cynthia Sax: What is one thing that excites you, as the writer, about Trapped?
Alison Aimes: I love the raw passion of the story, the heroine’s strength and determination and the hero’s courage and willingness to do whatever it takes to keep the heroine alive. I had so much fun, too, wondering ‘what if?’ with this particular scenario…. What if a woman crashed on a hostile planet? What if that planet was filled with ruthless criminals? What if her only hope for survival was one of the convicts, a hardened man with a questionable past? What would she be willing to do to save herself? What would he be prepared to take? The answers ended up being action-packed and scorching hot. Especially as all those ‘what ifs’ led to a story that begins with a transactional deal for sex in return for protection and a scenario where the hero holds more of the power and control. But exploring how that changes—how a prisoner who’s become more animalistic than man rediscovers his humanity and a woman finds her soul mate on the unlikeliest of places—was pure joy to write.
Cynthia Sax: How does Trapped start?
Alison Aimes: TRAPPED starts on the spacecraft carrying Cadet Bella West and her colleagues to Dragath25. Tensions are running high. The team of scientists and soldiers are nervous and excited about the assignment, a quick search and acquire mission on a part of the planet far from the criminal barracks. Hopes are running high that theirs will finally be the mission to discover the kind of plants that can survive on an Earth that has already lost billions to blight and famine. Until something goes wrong. And the shuttle drops. Leaving Bella and a few injured survivors stranded on a dangerous planet with no food or water, no knowledge of the terrain, and no way to defend themselves against the vicious gangs of roving convicts who control the planet.
The scene provides a sense of Bella’s strength and determination, the stakes for her in joining the mission, and the sheer impossibility of keeping her team alive without some kind of help. Help she finds in an unlikely source: one of Dragath’s own.
Cynthia Sax: Where is Trapped set?
Alison Aimes: Well, as I’ve mentioned above, my story is set on Dragath25, a harsh environment filled with violent criminals, hungry predators and endless rust-colored rock. Yeah, I know. That doesn’t sound too sexy, but it’s that ruthless environment that brings the hero and heroine together. And what’s more? There are secret caves on Dragath25, tiny oases drenched in lush, colorful plants and warm turquoise springs. Fragile places made all the more romantic in contrast to the harshness elsewhere. Want a peek inside one of those caves? Here’s what’s happening in one of those secret caves the first time the hero and heroine are together after they make their deal….
A splash sounded. Powerful ripples washed against her back like a surging tide. He was coming for her.
She whirled and discovered small bubbles on the surface of the water. An inky cloud of red and brown streamed in all directions followed by foamy white. Then a dark head broke the surface and he was standing before her, waist high in the water, a mud man no more.
Her mouth opened on a tiny o.
Without the dirt, dark, thick hair, shorn close to his scalp, was now visible. Along with olive skin, a wide forehead, low brows, firm lips, and a square jaw. Tiny droplets left his long lashes spikey while rivulets of water tracked over chiseled cheekbones down his sculpted chest and abdomen to a small trail of dark hair that snaked from his belly button to disappear into the water. Scars of various length and width tracked across miles of pure, hard muscle.
My God, mud man was a flesh and blood man—an incredibly masculine one. If she’d met him at the Academy or the barracks on Earth, she would have been unable to stop staring. He was that beautiful.
Then his hand shot out and her daze shattered.
With a hiss, she stumbled back.
One dark eyebrow rose. “Here.”
She looked down to see a small white bar in his hand.
“It’s soap.” His tone was brusque. “The drones dump trash from Earth. Use it.”
“Thank you.” It took all her courage to reach out and take the bar from his hand. “I—I’ve never used it before. The Academy only allows lasers for cleaning. The use of water was banned a long time ago.” She stopped short.
Of course, he knew that. He wasn’t from some distant galaxy. He was from Earth. He just wasn’t welcome there anymore.
His lips flat lined. “I’ve been here a while, but not as long as that.”
Was that a joke? His expression offered no clue.
“Of course.” Hands shaking, she took the soap and rubbed it against her arm. The blood stayed put. She rubbed harder.
She hadn’t expected this…this talking. Or the kindness of a bath—with soap. It was confusing.
“You need the water to make it work.” Rough hands reached out and took the soap, dunking it under the water, making that same foamy circle she’d seen before.
“Turn around.” His voice had gone husky again.
That overworked heart of hers started up double time once again. Her feet remained planted where they were.
He waited for longer than she would have expected before he spoke again, his jaw locked tight. “Anything?” It was a reminder. A reproach. A challenge.
And her last chance to change her mind.
Her eyes sunk shut. I can do this. I need to do this.
She whirled around, bracing for a grab. A strike. But the deliberate slow glide of a calloused fingertip down the bumps of her spine slammed through her with more force than any blow.
Cynthia Sax: Is Trapped part of a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Alison Aimes: Yes! It’s a series and I’m super excited about book two, TAKEN. I’m writing it now. It takes place in the depths of Dragath25 where it’s hot, hot, hot! The story reveals what happens to Cadet Ava Davies who vanishes without a trace in TRAPPED.
Here’s the current blurb…. All Cadet Ana Davies wanted after escaping Earth was to discover what happened to her sister and atone for the sins of her past. Now she’s captive within a labor camp deep within Dragath25’s core, a sweltering maze of caves overrun by brutal prisoners-turned-slaves. Her only hope for survival? A man from her past with his own reasons for wanting her dead.
Two years ago, ex-soldier Hunter Valdus lusted after a woman who betrayed him, landing him in a hell he and his men have been struggling to survive ever since. Now she’s landed back in his clutches. Better still, she just might be the key to his crew’s escape and his redemption. And all he has to do is keep her alive and at a distance until he can use her for his own dark purposes.
But raw, blood-pounding need is a potent force. Forgiveness and love even stronger. And even the best-laid plans can be laid to waste, especially on Dragath25.
After that, I’ve got plans—big plans—for Book 3 and 4. I can’t wait!!!
Cynthia Sax: Thank you, Alison Aimes, for joining us today!
Alison Aimes’s Website: http://www.alisonaimes.com
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Recently Awarded Top Reader Pick by Night Owl Review….
A tale of unbridled desire, stunning sacrifice, and unwavering love, Trapped is an action-packed, sexy sci-fi romance that takes you to the brink of oblivion on a prison planet where only the strong survive….
Cadet Bella West has one simple objective when she joins the scientific mission to Dragath25, the notorious penal planet housing Earth’s condemned. Earn the credits necessary to save her family from starvation. But when her shuttle crashes and the majority of her crew perish, her simple mission becomes complicated fast. Now, to stay alive she’ll have to depend on one of Dragath’s own. But such protection doesn’t come free.
Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, 673 has become more beast than man after eight grueling years on an unforgiving, hazardous planet of dirt and rock—and even more treacherous inhabitants. He doesn’t look out for anyone but himself and he certainly never grows attached. So when the bold female offers him pleasure in return for protection, he takes the deal without hesitation. He never expects how her touch will alter him. Or the growing realization that saving her may be the key to his own salvation.
But as dangers mount and their ‘simple’ deal unravels will he prove to be her surprise savior or her ultimate downfall? Because caring for someone on Dragath25 may prove the greatest hazard of all.
The first book in the Condemned Series, Trapped has a HEA and can be read as a stand-alone.
Buy Now:
This has been on my TBR list. I’m done screwing around. I’m off to buy it. It sounds great.
Just bought it, thank you.
Trapped is an amazing read! I can’t wait for book 2, 3, 4……
PLEASE Alison Keep them coming!!!