Monday, July 29, 2013

Book Tour: The Art of Temptation by Genella deGrey Interview & Giveaway


BLURB:
After seven failed seasons, Valerie Hempstead decides to take her fate into her own hands, and a tour of the continent is just the thing. Accompanied by a female cousin, and the girl’s childhood companions--all of whom live fast and for the moment, Valerie is about to discover more about life than she anticipated.

Travis Elijah Colin Wade, the son of no one in particular, has just been handed a vast amount of money and a large country estate and, of all things, a bloody title. However, he's not at all pleased about leaving his care-free bachelor days behind. Determined to spend some of his money and relax before assuming his duties for Queen and country, Travis goes abroad. Little does he know that he is about to be utterly swept away by the seduction of innocent surrender.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:
“Come here, my sweet kitten. Let me hear you purr.” He moved closer, now loosely holding her masked face between his hands.

Praying to God that he would be dissuaded from whatever it was he was about to do to her, Valerie swallowed and half-succeeded in twisting away from him again, but his hands wouldn’t permit a complete rotation. “You mistake me, sir. I am here with some friends. I had no idea what this party was about,” she said, her voice higher than normal and her pounding heart nearly audible. Much to her embarrassment, he seemed to snuggle his body even closer to hers and her head turned back to him of its own volition.

“So, you’ve never attended a Shadow Party before?” he whispered.

Valerie shook her head almost imperceptibly as his face inched nearer to hers.

Her senses heightened, whether by the champagne or the heady sensation the man’s proximity was causing, she didn’t know. Nevertheless, he did smell wonderfully masculine. His gentle touch had been quite foreign to her, and yet she welcomed it; hand to elbow, finger to chin, palm to cheek, body to body, whatever the combination, it was wonderful.

And very dangerous.

“I’m on holiday,” she whispered, the tone of her voice rose, hoping she didn’t sound too flustered.

“Are you?” Without letting her answer, he continued speaking softly. “I’ve stolen away to the Continent for a holiday as well.”

“I—I’ve never been abroad before,” she said in a shaky voice trying to continue with the new direction of the conversation.

“No?” was his response, his face perilously close.

Valerie took a breath. It wasn’t working. He was still inching towards her.

“Nor have I been kissed be—,” her whisper was cut off when his lips touched hers.

Her first kiss was nothing like she’d expected. He was gentle with her. His mouth softly brushed hers—like warm champagne-scented feathers. Her lips pursed, pliant against his and he pressed in to meld with her. With her mouth occupied, she inhaled through her nose. God, he did smell good; a manly cologne, clean and leather, cedar and soap, faintly done, not in the way the French used perfume. Valerie sighed, she didn’t mean to, but it was too late to call it back.

“Are you enjoying our kiss?” he murmured against her lips.

“Yes.” She sighed the word.

INTERVIEW:
-   Where did you get the idea for the novel?
Valerie Hempstead, the heroine in The Art of Temptation, was originally a secondary character in my paranormal/angel/demon/historical romance novel, Remember Me. She was told (by the heroine of RM) that her tealeaves revealed a journey in her future. I was positive that there was an interesting story about to happen, and I could not possibly let Valerie go with out us to follow along!

-   Your title. Who came up with it? Did you ever change your title?
The Art of Temptation was this book’s first title. My close friends and beta readers really loved it, so it stuck.

-   Why did you pick this genre? What do you like about it?
I love history - couple that with a romance novel and sign me up! But be warned, my heroines aren’t the type to sit around and sew while the world passes them by. They are smart, they get their hands dirty, they step out of boundaries set by society when they see no other alternative. They are stubborn, headstrong and sometimes try so hard to use their head instead of their heart (or the other way around) they miss the big picture. Ugh! I think I just described myself. LOL I mean, can you relate to a lump of fluff on a settee who follows every rule set down? I can’t.

-   Since becoming a writer, what’s the most exciting thing to ever happen to you?
I’ve met some of the most wonderful people associated with our industry. I have a deep love of history and have learned even more since I became serious about writing, and an utter fascination about England. My erotic romance publishers, Total-E-Bound, out of the UK, invited me to spend a holiday with them in and around Lincoln last summer. I also spent a day with some friends who live in London, and visited York as well. I’m sure I looked like a fool every time I wept with joy over silly things such as seeing a castle for the very first time or walking through Hyde Park and sitting in Rules Restaurant…all things I’ve written about but never had the opportunity to see in person. Even every day things thrilled me like drinking a cup of tea…in England…while it was raining! I know, I sound like such a nerd.

-   What book are you currently reading or what was the last book you read?
I am reading Dance of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries :)

-   What is your writing process?
What is a writing process? KIDDING!! Really, I’m all over the place. Sometimes, such a unique character or conflict will pop into my head and I just HAVE to write about them/it. Once in a while an entire plot presents itself, and other times just a single situation demands I create a story about it. So my process just depends upon what’s going on in my head at the time.

-   At a book signing, do you just sign your name or do you write a note?
I’ve done both, but more often than not I write a little something else.

-    How do you come up with stuff to say?
 We’ll have a little chat about the convention or whatnot…so a greeting or reminder of what we talked about just comes out naturally.

-   What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
That I’m NOT living an exciting life in Los Angeles - LOL. Really, I don’t do anything anyone else hasn’t done, so I don’t find myself all that alluring, mysterious or different.

-   How do you react to a bad review?
I’m sure I’ll eventually get to the point where I no longer read bad reviews, but for now, the mantra is, ‘consider the source.’ Do they take into consideration that my book is a fictional tale? Do they even like the genre? Have they themselves authored a story, signed a contract with a publisher, gone through the grueling editing process and put their work up for others to criticize? What are their average review ratings and do they admit to skimming through books? If they do, and rant about a plot hole or character flaw, did they miss a vital scene or conversation between characters because they skim, because they were distracted or just have low comprehension scores or spotty attention spans? If it didn’t work for them, it didn’t work. But why be cruel? Karma’s bite has a bitter, enduring sting, my friends - and she WILL find you.

-   How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
 I popped open a bottle of champagne - which is now the tradition every time I sign a contract.
Thank you so much for having on your blog today!



AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born and reared in Southern California, Genella deGrey longed to be your typical blonde, tanned, surfer girl but failed miserably. Unable to sit idle without falling asleep, she embarked upon several artistic endeavors. Makeup and set dressing for the entertainment industry, Resort Enhancement for The Walt Disney Company and writing sexy historical romance top the list of her favorite activities.

Genella has a keen interest in the spirit world. She loves wandering around in graveyards, traveling to battle fields and other haunted destinations, the older the better. New Orleans is one of her favorite places to encounter the supernatural, as is Tombstone, AZ.

Links:

Twitter: @GenelladeGrey

FB: Genella deGrey Books


Amazon buy page for all books: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ATTE19S

The Art of Temptation Amazon buy link:


GIVEAWAY:
Genella will be awarding a large goodie grab bag comprised of 'author swag' gathered from the Romance Novel Convention in August 2013 to three randomly drawn commenters during the tour.
 The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

7 comments:

  1. ahah If anyone ever called me a kitten and asked me to purr I'd probably die laughing! lol Thanks for the excerpt and interview!

    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL, Andra!! It was one of those sexy, rhetorical things a guy whispers in your ear ~ HEHE!

      Delete
  2. Well, it's the beginning of another week! I look forward to all the great posts and excerpts! Thanks so much for sharing and for the great giveaway!

    hense1kk (at) cmich (dot) edu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by, Kate!
      I'm very excited about the convention (where I'll be picking up the prizes) - I leave in just over a week!
      :D

      Delete
  3. Thank you so much, Books & Other Spells, for hosting me!
    :-*

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice excerpt

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the chance to win!
    Sounds like a great read!!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete