SATURDAY SNEAK PEEK COFFEE KLATCH

Relax, grab your favorite cup of coffee, or tea, and join me in welcoming Kate Richards, author of Pirate Lady Holiday from Breathless Press, which was just released on December 10^th.

1)      When did you first start writing?  I can’t even remember, but I have boxes of stories dating back to about 7^th grade. I didn’t even try to be published until this year though.

2)      What genre do you write in?  Why did you choose it? I write primarily contemporary erotic romance. And I don’t know that I chose it specifically, the ideas come and I write them down.

3)      Do you have a ritual before sitting down to write?  Do you listen to music, light candles, or wear something sexy, to put you in the mood for creating love scenes?    Ummm. Nothing too dramatic. I pour a drink, diet coke or coffee usually, because anything stronger is likely to make me sleepy and non-productive. Then I sit on my big, comfy chair, laptop on lap, and I’m lost.

4)      Do you work on more the one project at a time?  If you do, how do you keep the stories from meshing together? I do. I usually have several stories going, but they’ve never tried to mesh together. Shoot! Now they probably will.

5)      How much time in your busy day, do you spend on your craft? Writing, a couple of hours, but I also edit and am a co-owner of Got Romance Reviews, and I bet I spend ten or more hours a day on all of it.

6)      Since the holiday season is approaching, do you have a favorite holiday movie or special event, and why do you love it? I love the boat parade in Huntington Harbor, where everyone decorates their boats and lights them up and that’s why I wrote Pirate Lady Holiday about Christmas in the Marina.

7)      What season do you find, to be the one that sparks more new romances, and why? Most of my romances have started in the fall for some reason, but my husband and I met in winter, online, and spent the rest of the cool weather getting to know each other. Cool weather is awfully good for cuddling!

8)      If your most recent novel was made into a movie, who would you like to see cast in the lead roles, and why? If Pirate Lady was made into a movie, Kate Hudson would play Clara because she’s utterly adorable and so is Clara. And for Jack, maybe Chris Cornell from Soundgarden because he’s not only hot but the kind of talented musician I’d like to see in the role—if he acts lol.

9)      Do you have a particular author whose work inspires you?  If yes, who, and why? Marion Zimmer Bradley because not only do I love her work, but she helped so many others to get started.

10)  Can you give away any of your secret indulgences?  We promise not to tell. Ummm, coffee, chocolate? Long bubble baths with a book that I’m not reading for any reason than fun! A mystery…or a paranormal… I’m hoping for another Sookie Stackhouse if Charlaine Harris is listening!

11)  Would you to give us a hint about any works in progress?  We’re dying to know what you’re working on next. I’m working on an anthology with several author friends, which I expect to sizzle when it hits the pages. Should be out mid-2011.

12)  Can you share an excerpt of your latest novel?

13)   She told him she didn’t sleep with company guests or musicians, and she knew for sure he was at least one of those things. Was she teasing him?

The glint in her aquamarine eyes made him think so. But why? He shook his head and tried not to think about it, once again shifting because she had made him uncomfortable in his jeans. His erection strained against the button fly, and it didn’t appear as though things were getting better anytime soon. Of course, he did have that bet going, if he had the nerve to use it.

Gingerbread seemed to be very serious business to Clara. She stood next to him, her soft breast pressed against his arm as she showed him how to prop up the two pieces of cake, while the icing hardened enough to hold it in place. His suggestions involving toothpicks and duct tape had been greeted with outrage, so he did as she asked and just enjoyed the closeness. A couple of times, the structure wobbled, and he got excited but it held in the end. The bet still stood.

Once the basic shape was formed, she laid out a pile of candies: red hots, M&M’s, licorice of various colors and sizes, Necco Wafers—so many that he couldn’t even count them. She began to affix them to the gingerbread with dollops of the icing, and when he hesitated, she urged him to do the same.

"You can do it too, you know. Come on, it’s fun."

"I don’t know about fun, but okay." He reached past her for a bag of M&M’s. She kissed his neck, her lips just grazing the skin below his ear. He froze as she moved away.

"What’s the hold up?" she asked.

"Nothing at all." He grabbed the candies and started a row along the roofline of the gingerbread cabin. "Why do you ask?" He dropped one hand to her leg and squeezed lightly.

"Oh, just wondering. Could you pass me that bowl of brown icing over there?" As he did, she did it again. Only this time, she feathered kisses up his throat, teasing the sensitive spot behind his ear.

He moaned and dropped the candy to pull her against him on the narrow bench. Her lips were hot and moist, and he pressed them apart and thrust his tongue into her mouth. She didn’t fight him, and in a moment they were both panting. This woman was bewitching him. She was beautiful and interesting and didn’t like him because he was famous. He stood with her in his arms, holding her tightly against him.

"What was that you said about Santa Claus?" he asked, before devouring her mouth again.

"I said," she replied, when he freed her lips to speak, "that he won’t come until we’re in bed."

14)  Where can we find you? Website, face book, blog, email? You can track me down at http://katerichards.wordpress.com/ or katerichards09@gmail.com. I love to hear from readers, so drop me a line!

Thank you so much Kate for spending the morning with us and allowing us to sneak a peek. We've enjoyed having you as a quest and look forward to reading your latest release.