Sunday, May 6, 2012

Romance on the Riviera with Lori Foster (Interview/Giveaway)



Crystal: Welcome back Lori, thank you so much for joining us in our celebration of Cinco de Mayo this weekend!

Thank you for having me!

Crystal: Have you ever visited Mexico yourself? If so, can you share with us a little about your trip? And if not, is that a place that you would like to visit in the future and what would you like to do while there?

Long ago, when two of my sons were still in diapers, we took a big family trip to Arizona, went over into Nogales, and then took a shuttle into Las Vegas. Nogales was beautiful!  We bought so many souvenirs – things that we kept for years upon years.  And we still go back to look at the photos.
I would love to return again someday, but that trip is a little far for my little doggie, who doesn’t like to be on the road much, and would really be freaked out by a plane ride. So for now, that vacation is on hold. J

Lexi: 2011 was a busy year for you, I counted six releases? Do you always have so many books come out in a single year?

Often, yes. New releases are the most work, of course, because I promote them more heavily. Reissues do take up a fair amount of time also, but I rarely do blogging and interviews for them.
Honestly, I wish I could write faster. I always have so many books in my head – but since writing the books isn’t the only thing involved, I’m not sure that’d help. LOL. It often seems I no sooner finish one book than I have line edits for another, or page proofs, or promo...
Sometimes, writing is the least busy/time consuming thing I do!

When You DareLexi: Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor is a series about mercenaries. Dangerous work, especially when women they love get caught up in it. Do you ever get your adrenaline pumping when you are writing, or are you able to detach yourself from the story and just write?

Ha!  Good question. I often feel what they feel – which is maybe why it’s easier to write it. If they cry, I get teary eyed too. If they laugh, I’m often smiling. When they “get busy” I think... “Ahhh... so sweet that they’re in love like that,” or in the case of male point of view, I shake my head at how sexual men are, and how fun!
I really try to get the fight scenes right. Most who read me know that I’m a big MMA fan. (Mixed martial arts – especially within the UFC.) I hope I’m knowledgeable enough to help readers “see” the fights, not just read them. I certainly see them in my head!

Crystal: Your series, starting with When You Dare, begins in Mexico with the very real and heart-breaking problem of human trafficking. What inspired this beginning? Was it something you saw on the news or read in the paper?

I saw “TAKEN” with Liam Neeson, and from there, my Muse took over. But it is in the news a lot, so doing research wasn’t too difficult. Just this morning I saw Fox news discussing it within the issue of border security.  Every day, whether I’m looking for it or not, I see something about human trafficking.
But it isn’t just from Mexico. It’s right in our own backyards. It’s everywhere, in every level of society.  The series I’m working on next – LOVE UNDERCOVER – featuring Logan, Reese, Rowdy and Dash, sort of picks up in human trafficking but with a different slant. Drug mules. Many, many people are forced to carry drugs, especially women and especially in gang atmospheres. As with the EDGE OF HONOR series, the focus will be on the romance, but the background is another topic that interests me greatly.


Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene, couple or book in the series has touched you more than another?

I have a few favorite scenes.
When Trace takes a photo of Priss with his cell phone, while she’s enforcing her cover by trying on revealing clothes.
When Jackson rescues Priss – naked, from the shower. LOL. (Still cracks me up!)
When Priss kicks Trace in the nose, then tries to flee – only to run headlong into Dare. (who is an immovable brick of a guy.)
Every scene of Priss with Chris and Matt.

And after reading all that, you probably know that my favorite of the series was TRACE OF FEVER. Trace was so edgy, Priss so ballsy, and the scenes often so hilarious (at least to me) that I enjoyed writing it the most.
Funny thing though, as is usually the case, MY favorite is the least favorite for most readers. LOL

A Perfect StormLexi: Do you have plans for the Edge of Honor series, how many books or characters you want included in it?

I’m mostly done with it. I say mostly because Alice, a secondary character in TRACE OF FEVER, will appear as the heroine in the 2nd book of my new LOVE UNDERCOVER series, titled BARE IT ALL.
And... I’m currently in talks with HQN to see if I can do a very short story for Chris. I hadn’t planned to, and I didn’t have a story for him, but every day at least 10 readers ask me for his book, and so, little by little, my Muse has kicked into gear. I don’t see it being a print book, definitely not a single title, but maybe a short online story to appease those wonderful readers who adore Chris as much as I do!

Lexi: Other than writing like a mad-woman you also make time to give back. One such project is your “Troop Project” that raises money to send things to members of our military. Did you start this before or after you began writing the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series? 

Oh, long, long before! That was begun something like 8 or more years ago. My online email list – The Bookjunkys – had been doing collections for a little while before 2007, when I put together a cookbook (recipes donated by local celebrities, authors and dear readers) with all proceeds to go toward buying and mailing items to our troops. http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php
Then Laurie Damron - http://lauries-laudanum.blogspot.com/ - a super-wonderful woman and very dear friend, took it over for me after our 1st READER & AUTHOR GET TOGETHER.  http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php
Now, she collects for the Troops at the event, packages up the items, and gets them mailed off with $ donations from many people. It’s a wonderful thing – and Laurie is an amazing woman!

In addition to the cookbook, I’ve also organized a “benefit book” anthology each year. http://www.lorifoster.com/books/benefitbooks.php
All author and agent proceeds from sales of the books go to benefit wonderful causes. We’ve donated to the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, The Conductive Learning Center (school for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy), the One Way Farm (home for abused and abandoned children), and the AAF (Animal Adoption Foundation) a no-kill animal shelter.
The newest book is out in June, LOVE BITES, and as you can imagine by the title, it’ll again benefit the AAF.
Other authors involved are Brenda Jackson, Catherine Mann, Jules Bennett and Virna DePaul.

Lexi: Thanks for stopping by Lori and congratulations on the release of book four, A Perfect Storm! Yet another great cover for the series!

Lori FosterThank you! I have LOVED the covers HQN gave me for this series.
Just so you know, I begged for hairy chests for a long time. LOL. Given the great feedback, I’d say readers have enjoyed those chests as much as I have!

Lori Foster also writing as L.L. Foster

OUT NOW!!!! - A PERFECT STORM
Arizona and Spencer's story
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~*GIVEAWAY*~
Lori is giving away a fabulous prize pack in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! For one US reader she has a T-shirt, signed book of choice (as long as she has on-hand) and some great swag! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us about your own trip to Mexico or what you would see if you ever visited in the future, or just rave about Lori's books! Then fill out the Rafflecopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



42 comments:

  1. I've been to Cozumel to go diving and it was fantastic. It's some of the best diving in the Caribbean and you get great Mexican food to eat the whole time you are there - the perfect vacation. I've also been to Cancun and to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Mexico is a fascinating place, with friendly people. I hate that all of the reports of violence have really done a number on the tourism industry there.

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  2. I've never been to Mexico but I have read the Trace Fever and When You Dare and OMG I fell in love right away. I just can't wait to read A Perfect Storm. I'm going to cry when this series comes to an end.

    Val Pearson
    lastnerve2000 at gmail dot com

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  3. OMG Lori Foster, you made my day, my week, hell my year saying you might do some sort of story for Chris. I knew I loved you for a reason!!!

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  4. I was traveling to a conference in Costa Rica, with a professor/friend of mine back in the 90's, and our flight out of CA was delayed and detoured to Mexico City. We missed our connection, it was late in the day, we spoke NO Spanish that was worthwhile, had no local currency... And airport personnel abandoned all the passengers on the plane! Still don't know why. No airport benches or seats -- literally a disaster for all. One of the passengers was a prominent business woman, who spoke fluent Spanish, and managed to get all the passengers food and hotel rooms for the night! She was amazing! It was a crazy, short stay in Mexico and even worse was trying to explain to US Customs (as we were re-routed back to Houston for our connecting flight) why we weren't drug traffickers but just tired, cranky tourists! Short stay but certainly eventful!

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  5. Hi Lori!! Love to see your interviews!! I always learn something new~ :)
    I have never been to Mexico..not one of the places I have on my list. Altho where I live feels like I live there every day ;)
    Hollie R.
    goshnsqurrl63(at)aim(dot)com

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  6. I have loved every book I've read I Lori's. I have been to Mexico on a cruise. One of the islands was Costa Maya. We took a day trip ti the beach on the way I saw several homes that were surrounded by very high fences. These were not nice homes so I don't think it was a safeguard against theft. So i began to think about what they were trying to keep out and what might be stalking us at the beach. Lol. Not know if I'll be going back to Mexico.

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  7. I am a huge fan of your books. I finsished Perfect Storm and loved how the conclusion to the series went. I have never been to Mexico, but would love to start traveling once my children are a bit older and can appreciate all the wonderful sights. I would want them to experience travel with my husband and myself as a family :) Very excited for the new series coming out soon.

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  8. I have never been to Mexico, but it's definitely on my list of places I want to go!

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  9. Never been to Mexico and since I grew up in Texas I dont think that's the place I'd pick if I ever had a chance of going to a tropical location.

    I love Lori's interviews - you get so much information from them. Looking forward to the new series Love Undercover - the drug mules background sounds very interesting.

    Thanks for the flashback of one of your favorite scenes - When Jackson rescues Priss – naked, from the shower. That was a very funny scene.

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  10. Never been to Mexico even though it's only a few hours drive from me.
    Anyways, I'm a huge fan of Lori's books! I have to admit the first thing that drew me to her series are the covers. The men on the covers are some nice man candy. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  11. Rave about Loris books?? LOL Easy peasy. I have Lori on my have read/will keep shelves. Have her on my tbr shelves. She is everywhere. But I still do not have Arizonas story. Gotta get that book. Love Loris writing, her style, her characters, her stories and mostly her heart. A sweet and generous person. Who else would decide to put off a vacation because her doggy cant make the trip? haha

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  12. I've never been to Mexico so i'll talk about Lori's books instead. lol

    Love all her books. Of the Men who walk the Edge of Honor series ( that's a mouthful) my fav was book 1 Dare's book. They were all pretty awesome!! Alpha male's with high protective instincts who are don't see themselves as heros. Love it!!


    Lisa B

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  13. I love Lori's books! She is so awesome!

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  14. The only cruise my husband and I have yet to take had two stops in Mexico. For the life of me I can not remember the name of the little cove we went to on one of the stops but it was absolutely perfect! I had never snorkeled or anything but my group convinced me to try snubbaing. It's a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. I had a BLAST. Great food, awesome atmosphere and tons of fun. Would do it again in a heart beat!!


    sionedkla@gmail.com

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  15. Been to Mexico once when I was really young. I don't have any plans to go to Mexico in the near future. That may change once my child is older and can appreciate the beauty that Mexico have to offer.

    Kidsue99@yahoo.com

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  16. The only places I've been in Mexico are Tijuana and Encenada, which are in Baja Mexico, not the mainland. They're easy to get to from Southern California, where I'm from (now living in Florida). I would like to take a cruise to Puerto Vallarta, I've heard a lot about it.

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  17. I have never been to Mexico, but want to some day. I would like to visit the places that aren't overrun with tourist. I like to see the true culture.

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  18. I have been to some Mayan ruins in Mexico when I was on a cruise. I don't remember exactly where. I would like to go back tho, it was a lot of funa nd so pretty

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  19. I have been to Mexico a few times. I really liked Playa de Carmen/Cozumel, the snorkeling was really fun. It was a good trip.

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  20. I have never been to Mexico, but speak Spanish relatively (not as fast!) well and would love to see more of the culture. edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom

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  21. Our favorite memories are the two trips to Mexico's Caribbean with the family. We went to Barcello Maya Beach Resort, it's all inclusive and like being on a cruise ship without leaving port. We had a blast!

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  22. Well I have a lot of family who lives there up in the mountainous regions, so nature is mostly what we see and alot of farm animals. That's how we like to relax.

    yadkny@hotmail.com

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  23. I have only been to Monterrey for a church project and a border town to visit the market, but I loved the people and the architecture in the old part of the city and the market? wonderful.

    I recently got the first book in Lori's series so I look forward to starting it. The military and other charity projects sound awesome.

    Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

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  24. Several years ago we took a company cruise and one of the stops was in Cozumel where we went on a tour of the Mayan ruins. VERY COOL!

    Wendy/books4me

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  25. I've never been to mexico but would like to go and see the ruins or go snorkling.

    mythic021@gmail.com

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  26. I've never been to Mexico, but I have heard there are some great places to visit such as the Mayan ruins. As for Lori Foster's books, I have only recently discovered her in the last year. I have loved the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series, and have to read A Perfect Storm to complete the series.

    Elizabeth Gray
    elizabethgr@sbcglobal.net

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  27. It's been a long time since I've been to Mexico and they were two extremes - Tijuiana (day trip from SanDiego) and Cancun at the posh hotels. I'd really like to see more of the natural Mexico.
    I rave about Lori's books all the time. Loved 'A Perfect Storm' - wish there would be more of that series. I'm working my way thru all of Lori's books.
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  28. I've not been to Mexico, but if I ever got a chance I'd love to see the pyramids and ruins there. I don't know anything about archeology either, but I still think it would be fascinating to see them.
    Thanks for a chance to win.
    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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  29. Hi Lori,
    thank you for the chance at such a great giveaway, i'm a Huge fan and i love all of your books.

    i use to work as a travel agent before i was injured and once i went on what is called a "fam trip". this is actually a working vacation kind of trip. it was for Carnival Cruises and was out of L.A. going to Encinada Mexico. i went in October so the weather was wonderful on land but i was horribly seasick on the ship because the seas are rough that time of year on the Pacific coast. once we got to Encinada, it was alot of fun but it was also heartbreaking to see so much poverty. there were little kids around 5 or 6 selling Chicklets and women with their baby tied to their back (down from their mtn. villages) selling handmade items.
    the worst was watching the foreigners take advantage of them. because of the difference in the pes0-dollar people were offer amounts like $1.00 for something that was obviously worth 30 or 40.
    i was ashamed that they were people i was travelling with. on the other hand i also saw others offer far more than an item was worth, just because they had the kindness of heart to help a family that was not as propserous as themselves.

    the town itself was fun and i got lots of souveniers for my family and saw alot of historical buildings. that was a long time ago(1999) and i hope the town is now better off than it was at the time.
    if not then Carnival should be ashamed.

    sorry for the rant, i tend to ramble when something gets me going. :D

    tammy ramey
    trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com

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  30. I Love Your Books Lori I Cant Wait To Read More. butterfli262002@yahoo.com

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  31. I've never been to Mexico but if I ever go it would be one of those weekend with my friends, getting drunk and hanging out on the beach lol.

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  32. I have never been to Mexico. Not sure that I really want to go. Would love to visit a resort maybe, but have heard all kinds of crazy stories. Maybe Cancun would be fun.
    Love Lori's Men on Honor. Can't wait to hear Chris' story. Thanks for the giveaway.
    christinebails@yahoo.com

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  33. I'd go to all of the great food places that I've heard about and try some of the dishes that got my attention.

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  34. Thanks for a fun post and giveaway!

    I've never read any of Lori's books or been to Mexico. I really struck out ;) I've read such awesome reviews for Lori's books and they are definitely on my wishlist. So is going to Mexico, but I'd have to go to the more resorty spots, as I'm a bit leery of the sanitation of the water, etc. I don't want to sound high and mighty, snobby American, but I've had some friends with horror stories!

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  35. I've never been to Mexico and have no desire to visit. But I do love The edge Of Honor series. So far my favorite is Dare. Love these Alpha males. Thanks for the opportunity.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  36. I've never been to Mexico but I have read the Trace Fever and When You Dare and they were amazing. Can't wait to read A Perfect Storm. Great interview.

    e.balinski(at)att)dot)net

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  37. I love visiting Mexico! I've been to Cozumel twice, Merida, Progresso, Riveria Maya, Playa del Carmen, and Chichen Itza. I have so many great memories of Mexico. Every trip has had some wonderful moments and the country is so beautiful! On one rip, my husband and I took the local bus into Merida to visit the White City, only to realize when we got there we weren't sure of when the bus would return to Progresso. In very broken Spanish I managed to ask the attendants at the station and understand the response since no one spoke English. Luckily we had plenty of time to enjoy the city and return on the bus with no other hiccups to our trip.

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  38. I would love to go to Mexico and read Lori's books. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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  39. My trip to Mexico was almost 30 years ago. I went to do some shopping and sight seeing. I bought some beautiful silver jewelry. Love to read Lori's book. Thanks for having this giveaway.
    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

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  40. I've not been to Mexico...but would VERY much like to go there! SO, if you're offering a free cruise along with your book giveaway...sign me up, please! ROFL!! ;)

    barbbattaglia @ yahoo.com

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