Friday, September 16, 2011

Erotic Romance Weekend - Bella Andre (Interview & Giveaway)

Celebrating erotic romance weekend today we have an interview & giveaway with best selling author Bella Andre! This fabulous lady writes some hawt romance that you must check out, enjoy!


Hi Bella, it’s a pleasure having you over today for our Erotic Romance event! J
Let’s start off by learning a bit more about you; can you please share with readers five fun facts about yourself?

1. I was a singer/songwriter and shared the stage with a lot of famous acts including Jewel and Santana and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
2. After a long day at the computer writing about my hot Sullivan boys, I like to sink down in my hot tub and stare out at the moon and the stars.
3. I'm a big believer in feng shui so I don't have trash cans in my home office. Every time I leave the room, I throw my stash of post-it notes and crumpled papers away in the kitchen.
4. When I'm writing a book, I'll listen to the same song over and over and over and over again. For my latest, FROM THIS MOMENT ON, I must have listened to the Glee Cast recording of I Feel Pretty/Unpretty a hundred times.
5. Even though I love books, I have a weakness for good television. I'm so excited that Castle is coming back this Fall. I have to know what happens after Castle says "I Love You" to Beckett!

When you aren’t writing, do you have any favorite hobbies that you like to do? If so, what are they?

I also love to eat and cook and have meals with my friends and family. I live in the Northern California Wine Country where I have access to a great farmer's market and amazing restaurants. And lest you think I'm a total glutton, I also love to swim and hike! I also laugh a lot. And LOUDLY.

from this moment onYou started off song writing, what made you make the jump from that to writing romance?

One day I was surprised to realize two characters were having a conversation in my head! Rather than assume I was going nuts, I decided to pull out a notebook and write that scene down. About a year later, I found out that my old college roommate Jami Alden (who writes sexy thrillers) was writing a romance and she convinced me to attend a Romance Writers of American meeting with her.

Are there any authors that have inspired you in your career?

I'm inspired by lots of the books I read - there's always something that gives me an “a-ha” moment - like a great line, a sexy exchange. I really love Jennifer Crusie's books and her combination of sizzling, funny and sweet.

You’re the author of many titles ranging from contemporary romances, romantic suspense, and erotic romances; why did you choose to write erotic romance as well instead of sticking to the more mainstream romance genre?

Honestly, I just write the story that comes to me and try not to think too much about whether the story is mainstream or suspense or erotic. With that being said, my natural inclination as a writer is for my characters to interact on a physical level quite early in my stories. I suspect it helps that I'm a big fan of erotic romances and I personally believe that a great deal of juicy conflict arises from those intimate encounters.

When plotting a story, how do you determine whether it will be erotic or not?

When I'm plotting, I'm mostly trying to figure out who my characters are and what they believe, what's hurt them, what they want out of life. I truly enjoy writing love scenes. I love the emotion and I love watching two people learn to trust each other with what's in the deepest part of their hearts.

With so many titles under your belt release days must be a breeze for you now, how do you celebrate them?

I wish that were true! There's a lot of work that goes into each release, but I love it. When I get a moment to breathe, my husband and I will do a little dance in the living room with the kids and maybe go out to dinner and a movie together.

CANDY STOREThe erotic romance genre features a wide range of smexy scenes from light bondage to ménage a trios and everything in between; what can we expect from your works like Candy Store?

You can expect hot scenes and a little bondage here or there, but what I strive for in all my sex scenes is heart and emotion.

You are known for creating strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, do you have a process for pairing the perfect couple together? A list of qualities you compare or anything? And how to you prepare for writing those scorching scenes with them?

I want my couples to be perfect for each other, but in addition to qualities that bring them together, I also need to give them qualities to keep them apart and they're usually two sides of the same coin. For Marcus and Nicola in FROM THIS MOMENT ON, Nicola is drawn to Marcus' tender side and how he loves his family, but this same sense of responsibility and caretaking is what makes Marcus think he needs to stay away from Nicola. As for the scorching scenes, I just slide into my character's POV and let my fingers do the typing.

If you could go on a date with one of the characters from your books who would it be?

I'm currently in love with Gabe, my firefighter from my third Sullivan series book, CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE, which releases this December.

Thank you, Bella, for taking the time to join us today!

Thank you so much for having me!
You can learn more about Bella and all her works on her website: http://www.bellaandre.com/ And be sure to check out her spanking new release From This Moment On!


~*GIVEAWAY*~
Bella is offering one lucky reader a digital copy of her title Candy Store. To enter, just leave a meaningful comment or question for Bella and fill out the rafflecopter below!





29 comments:

  1. What a great interview! Erotic romance is one of my favorite genres to read. I can't get enough. And this one sounds great.

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  2. I really liked "The Look of Love". The very first book I have read of yours. And trust me, it won't be the last. Thanks for writing it!

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  3. Laughing a lot and loudly is the best way to live life, full of happiness.
    Any advice for aspiring writers?

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  4. While an avid reader, I too must have my Castle fix.

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  5. Thank you ssoooo much for a wonderful interview

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  6. I have read several of your books recently and loved them all...looking forward to reading this one too!

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  7. I like the fact that it's emotional sex in her books, not just the physical. Thanks for the giveaway! Gloria

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  8. Thanks for the awewsome post and giveaway!

    GFC ~ erin
    efender1(at)gmail(dot)com

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  9. Great interview.I haven't had a chance yet to read one of Bella's books.Thanks for the giveaway.

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  10. Thanks to everyone for dropping by to say hello!

    MohawkMama - I'm so glad you enjoyed The Look of Love!

    Maria - Thanks for the sweet comment about my books. :)

    Geschumann - Yes, that's really the goal when I write is to dig into their emotions (in addition to the super hot stuff!).

    :) Bella

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  11. Great interview! Definitely an author I need to check out!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  12. I love Bella Andre's books. Hers were some of the first ones that I read when I first began reading adult books. I just love them.

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  13. Thanks for the interview. I can't believe that you started out writing songs and then made your way to stories.

    I loved your Men of Fire Series. Can't wait to check out the Sullivans!

    Danni
    dannigv616AThotmailDOTcom

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  14. Those are some pretty impressive names you shared a stage with! Can you tell us some of the songs you wrote/co-wrote? Of the three you listed, who was your favorite?

    I'm looking forward to the new season of Castle, too!

    Thank you.
    k(dot)cherub2011(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. Thank you for the great interview. I always love to hear how different authors approach their process-music or no music, what's their muse, how they develop their characters, etc. Thank you for sharing! Looks like a read-thanks for the giveaway.

    mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com

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  16. Hope this is a meaningful comment: I absolutely love Bella Andre books- from Bad Boys of Football to Hot Shots! Looking forward to sinking my teeth into the Sullivan brothers. Great interview.

    kamwh1207(at)att(dot)net

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  17. Great interview and giveaway. I would love to read your books. They sound very good. Tore923@aol.com

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  18. Bella, outside of your books, who is your guy(from another book)?

    meredithfl at gmail dot com

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  19. awesome giveaway! i love bella's books! amazing stories. :) thanks for the giveaway!
    shadowluvs2read(at)aol(dot)com

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  20. I have several Bella Andre books on my reading list so would like to try this one. Thanks for the chance.

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  21. I really enjoyed your interview. What is your favorite genre to read and do you have any authors they you must have as soon as their books come out?
    sstrode at scrtc dot com

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  22. You know i've neve rread any of her books,But im look forward to reading them:)
    Thank you for the chanc eto win:):

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  23. wow I think it's cool you used to be a songwriter. Are you still writing songs or is it strictly novels that your doing now?

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  24. I love your books! I am looking forward to getting my hands on this one. Thanks so much for the interview.

    Mary
    mary_reiss @ hotmail.com

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  25. Thanks for the interview, it was great getting to know Ms. Andre a bit more!

    chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. Thanks for the great interview. I enjoy reading about how an author figures out their characters. I also think it is interesting that you listen to the same song over and over. That Glee song is a good one.
    Thanks

    areeths at new dot rr dot com

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  27. I appreciate that you put heart and emotion in your sexy scenes! Candy Store sounds great!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  28. Thanks for the great interview! How cool that you were a song writer first.

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