Interview with Tina Donahue
I sat down (virtually) with Tina Donahue for a short interview. Tina Donahue writes steamy erotic romances and her latest release is Seven Sensuous Days, Book Four in the Appointment with Pleasure series.
Cynthia Sax: What excites you about Seven Sensuous Days?
Tina Donahue: I love writing about people who’ve had a tough time with love, as most of us have had in the real world. That means that we haven’t been able to find it, or we’ve been hurt in the past.
In Seven Sensuous Days, Tessa’s more or less given up on anyone loving her. Although she’s pretty, she’s also curvy and had been bullied as a kid about her weight. That hurt is still with her. However, she’s one of the most upbeat characters I’ve ever written. Funny and sweet with a good heart. A year before the book begins, Logan lost everything he cherished. Now, he wants only to have a good time. He simply doesn’t trust anything else, especially intimacy. And then he meets Tessa. She reminds him of spring, all that’s good in the world, everything being renewed. However, that also frightens him badly. And so he resists.
I love the interplay between them, the depth of their characters, their yearning souls. They’re both good people who’ve finally found each other. J
Cynthia Sax: What is your favorite line from Seven Sensuous Days?
Tina Donahue: When Tessa arrives at Logan’s estate to begin her seven sensuous days, she says to him: “I’d like us to get to know each other a little bit before we, well, you know, do anything.”
This really sets the stage for their romance. Although she’s an escort and he’s a man who doesn’t want to get close, you just know that dynamic isn’t going to last. They’ve wanted each other too badly from the first moment they met. Logan resists and Tessa persists, lovingly tearing down his barriers, burrowing deeper into his heart, making him laugh, bringing his life back.
Good stuff.
Cynthia Sax: How does Seven Sensuous Days start?
Tina Donahue: It begins with an erotic auction sponsored by the agency where Tessa works. The proceeds are going to charity – mainly breast cancer research and academic scholarships for women. The mansion where the auction takes place has been decorated to look like a sultan’s lair. The men in the audience, all powerful and wealthy, bid on the lady of their choice, buying one evening or a full day of her time. The setup is rich and seductive with the women posed on stage, nude and in chains, as though they’re being sold at a slave auction.
I wanted to start Seven Sensuous Days with a bang, so to speak. However, while making it erotic, I also wanted Tessa’s personality to come out. Again, she’d been teased as a child about her weight. She’s still curvy. Like the redhead in Mad Men. She’s uncertain if anyone will bid on her. Then Logan comes along and what he does stuns Tessa and the audience. It sets into motion a romance that nothing can stop, not even Logan’s initial resistance.
Cynthia Sax: What is one aspect that makes Tessa and Logan right for each other?
Tina Donahue: They’re both good people. I know there will be those who think Tessa’s less than honorable for being an escort. However, she has her reasons. And she’s the finest person I’ve ever written. Logan’s the same, though he has lost his faith in anything good and lasting. She coaxes him back to trust, showing him there is a future, that love doesn’t always hurt. Without her, he would have drifted. With her, he’s found a home.
Cynthia Sax: Is Seven Sensuous Days a series and will you be writing more stories in this series?
Tina Donahue: Yes, this is a series. Claiming Magique started it all. Losing Control is book two. Illicit Intent, book three. All of them sexy but also exceedingly romantic.
And yes, I will absolutely continue the series as long as my fans enjoy it. J
Thank you, Tina Donahue, for joining us today!
Tina Donahue’s Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
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At an erotic auction, she’s his to bid on…to take…to command.
The night’s sultry, filled with carnal promise as Tessa participates in an agency event to raise money for charity. She’s chained and bared—as women were once displayed for a sultan’s harem—her sweet looks and full figure offered to the wealthy and powerful men.
Among them is Logan. To him, Tessa is so different from his late wife, the seemingly perfect female who cruelly stole his hope and future. Wanting only to forget and have a good time, he wins Tessa, demanding she be his in every way possible, engaging in all wanton acts, though not only for an evening…for seven sensuous days at his secluded Virginia estate.
A provocative proposal with such a dangerously virile man.
A week that changes everything, with Tessa’s exquisite vulnerability and Logan’s suddenly unquenchable desire more than either bargained for.
Buy Now From Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/seven-sensuous-days.html
Topics: Author Interviews | 7 Comments »
Interview With Tina Donahue
I sat down (virtually) with Tina Donahue for a short interview. Tina Donahue writes hot erotic romances for Ellora’s Cave and her latest release is Illicit Intent, Book Three in her wonderful Appointment with Pleasure series.
Cynthia Sax: What makes Joel and Guy sexy?
Tina Donahue: Their craving for Piper as a woman they not only hunger for, but one they like and respect before their carnal games. They accept her for who she is. Piper isn’t beautiful by any means. She certainly doesn’t consider herself drool-worthy even if Joel and Guy do. I believe that’s because they like her personality first of all…they enjoy her as a friend. A woman they can talk to and share their dreams with. They’re alphas, sure, (especially between the sheets, or in the shower, or the Jacuzzi) but Piper’s sweet vulnerability make them want to give her all that they can…to protect and cherish her. Now, that’s sexy.
Cynthia Sax: Will you be writing more stories in your Appointment with Pleasure series?
Tina Donahue: Illicit Intent is book three in my Appointment with Pleasure series. There will definitely be more books. I love the characters, including Ronnie, the lady who owns the escort agency and Alexa, the young woman whose wicked love affair with Hunt started it all. In book one, Alexa was Magique, a call girl who changed Hunt’s world. Unable to resist her, Hunt didn’t stop until she was his alone. Wow.
Cynthia Sax: What one piece of advice would you give new writers?
Tina Donahue: Learn your craft. Don’t submit anything to an agent or a publisher unless you’re absolutely certain it’s the best it can possibly be. Editors won’t teach you how to write. If your manuscript is a mess, they won’t take the time to whip it into shape. There’s simply too many other writers who know their craft and will make their editor’s life easy. No matter what critics say about anyone being able to write a romance, don’t you believe it. It’s extremely difficult to get emotions down on a page and make them believable. Sex scenes are also hard (excuse the pun) to write. There’s only so many ways someone can do ‘it’. You have to be extremely inventive while also making it realistic and romantic. No easy task.
Cynthia Sax: What do you love about writing contemporary erotic romances?
Tina Donahue: I write contemporary, historical, ménage, suspense, paranormal, so I’ll tell you what I most love about writing romance—any type of romance. The deep POV, getting inside my characters’ heads and hearts. I love the HEAs, especially after my characters have gone through so much to be together. I’ve had reviewers and fans say they were so moved by my stories and characters, they’ve wept, laughed, sighed – they recalled the stories months after they read them. That’s the best gift of all. To know you’ve moved someone. That your characters were real enough that the reader didn’t want the story to end.
Thank you, Tina Donahue, for joining us today!
Tina Donahue’s Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
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What’s your wildest erotic wish?
For Piper, that’s easy. Two alpha males who ravish her and find her curves beyond luscious. She knows her type isn’t for every man—certainly not Guy and Joel, right? Guy’s tall, dark and sinfully virile. Joel’s blond and bronzed. They’re freaking sex gods, escorts her friend hired so Piper’s thirtieth birthday is unforgettable.
Their carnal games awaken Piper’s sensuality, while her voluptuous figure and sweet vulnerability fuel both men’s animal hunger.
One evening of decadent pleasure isn’t enough. Piper aches to perform ménage acts with them for clients who like curvy women. A wicked idea, except for her family’s ties with law enforcement, the threat of exposure.
Is her threesome worth the risk?
Buy From Ellora’s Cave: http://www.ellorascave.com/illicit-intent.html
Topics: Author Interviews | 6 Comments »
