Welcome Berkley Heat writer, Roni Loren!

Welcome, Roni! I am so happy to be part of your tour - I don't think we've spoken before so I am looking forward to finding out more about you and your writing. It must be fantastic writing for such a renowned publisher as Berkley! Let's get started...

1)   What is your writing routine?

My kidlet goes to preschool for four hours a day, so I try to get most of my writing done during that time. I load up a big glass of iced tea, go in my office, turn on Pandora, and get to blogging. Then when I’ve got the blog out there, I start on my work in progress. My goal lately is to get in a minimum of 2k words a day.

2)   Which author/s inspire you to write?

I read A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle when I was in fifth grade. That book made me want to be a writer. As for more recent inspiration, I would say that it’s too many to name. I’ve met so many wonderful writers since I started writing that I’m inspired daily by what I see out there (online and in person). Writers encouraging each other, people accomplishing their goals, new ideas getting born. It’s great to be amongst all that creativity daily.

3)   Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

I tend to gravitate toward contemporary both for reading and writing. And I like my books on the sexy side (shocking, I know), though they don’t always have to be erotic. I’m also a big fan of YA--mostly contemporary as well, though I do have a few paranormal series I like.

4)   How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

Rejection is part of the deal in this career, so that has gotten easier to handle over the last few years. But criticism can still burn a bit; I’m human. My agent, editor, or critique partners can tear my work to shreds if needed and I’m fine with it. That kind of constructive criticism makes me a better writer, so I welcome it. But being put up for public opinion once a book is out can be a little harder to let roll of me. I’m a person who wants to please everyone and wants to be liked, so I’m still a work in progress on the growing thick, elephant skin thing. :)

5)   What do you expect from an editor?

An unvarnished opinion on what will make my book better and an excitement for the work.

6)   Tell me about your latest release

The back cover says it better than I can. But I will say that Jace was my absolute favorite hero to write so far. : )

After running away from home and the boy who broke her heart, Evan Kennedy has kick-started the perfect new life with her celebrity fiancé. So what if said fiancé prefers guys? She knew the deal. And with her ticket to The Ranch, an exclusive resort where any fantasy can be satisfied, she knows she can find someone to fulfill her less-than-traditional desires on the side.

She just never expected that man to be Jace Austin, her old heart-breaker—all grown up, hard-bodied, and holding out a collar. She knows it’s probably a world-class bad idea—especially since Jace has brought along his buddy Andre, who’s every bit as irresistible. But if they can stick to the no-strings rules, so can she.

Too bad Jace has never been so good with rules. Evan is convinced “forever” is a word used only in greeting cards, but Jace and Andre have one last fantasy of hers left to fulfill. It’s time to go big or go home. And neither man has ever been a fan of going home.

 7)   Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

This is from the prologue when Jace and Evan were still teens:

“Can I come in?” she asked, her voice swallowed by another rumble outside.

Hell no! He sat up on his elbows, making sure he had enough blankets over him to cover what was beneath the sheets. “You okay?”

She stepped fully into the room and clicked off the flashlight. “Do you have any matches or a lighter. I  . . . I know it’s a stupid, but the dark still freaks me out and I want to light a few candles.”

He frowned. “No, sorry, I don’t. I could go look downstairs. There may be some in the kitchen.”

“No, don’t get up.” She took another step toward him, the flashing from the windows lighting her in strobe effect, each blink giving his eyes something new to torture himself with. Bare legs. Short gym shorts. Damp hair. A tank top so thin he could see the shadow of dusky pink nipples beneath it.

But where he lost it was when his eyes locked with hers. The longing he felt in his own chest reflected in her pale blue stare. He tried to clear the knot that lodged in his throat. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“I don’t want to go back to my room, Jace,” she said, something very different from fear lacing her words.

His tongue grew thick in his mouth. “Well, you can’t stay in here.”

Another step closer, now within arm’s reach of him. “Why not? No one will be home until tomorrow.”

He groaned and raked a hand through his now sweat-dampened hair. “Because . . . Jesus, you know why.”

“Because you think I’m pretty.” The corner of her mouth lifted despite the obvious nervous edge tracking through her tone.

“Don’t do this,” he said, not sure if the words were directed at her or himself.

“Come on, I want to know.”

“Yes, because I think you’re pretty.” He looked toward the windows, breathed. “Because I damn near lose my mind every time I’m near you lately.”

Her breath escaped in a sharp little puff, and the thunder rolled between them, electrifying the air.

He hardened his tone, hoping she’d run for the door. “Go back to your room. We’re playing a dangerous game and doing the right thing has never been my strong suit.”

8)   Which is your favorite character in the book?  Why?

I know you’re not supposed to have favorite heroes when you’re writing. It’s kind of like picking a favorite kid. But I heart Jace. I loved writing him as a secondary character in CRASH INTO YOU, so I was beyond excited to write his story. He’s a  sarcastic bad boy who is always the life of the party but is covering up a ton of angst. I can’t resist that wounded thing. It gets me every time.

      9) What are you working on right now?

I’m waiting for edits on book 3, FALL INTO YOU, revising a novella that comes out after that, and outlining book 4 so that I can get to writing it. All are part of this series. Busy, busy, busy. : )

10)  Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

Don’t write the to trend, write the stories that inspire you and keep you up at night. I happened to write a BDSM romance because that was the story that wouldn’t leave me alone. And now it’s “trendy.” If I had written to the trend back when I was writing that first book (3 years ago), I probably would’ve never gotten a book deal.

11)  Where can readers find you?

Everywhere. *internet junkie* But here are the places I hang out the most:

Website/blog: www.roniloren.com/blog

Twitter: www.twitter.com/roniloren

Melt Into You

by Roni Loren

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Her first love has returned, and he's brought a friend...

After running away from home and the boy who broke her heart, Evan Kennedy has kick-started the perfect new life with her celebrity fiancé. So what if said fiancé prefers guys? She knew the deal. And with her ticket to The Ranch, an exclusive resort where any fantasy can be satisfied, she knows she can find someone to fulfill her less-than-traditional desires on the side.

She just never expected that man to be Jace Austin, her old heart-breaker—all grown up, hard-bodied, and holding out a collar. She knows it’s probably a world-class bad idea—especially since Jace has brought along his buddy Andre, who’s every bit as irresistible. But if they can stick to the no-strings rules, so can she.

Too bad Jace has never been so good with rules. Evan is convinced “forever” is a word used only in greeting cards, but Jace and Andre have one last fantasy of hers left to fulfill. It’s time to go big or go home. And neither man has ever been a fan of going home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

“Thanks.” She took her shirt and towel from him, pulled the first over her head, then got to her feet and knotted the beach towel around her hips. She tilted her head up to smile at him. “So, Mr. Humble Hero, you have a name?”

He stuck out his hand. “It’s Jace.”

Her body froze, the world seeming to tip off balance for a moment. Had she heard right? She stared at him for a moment, taking in every nuance of his face, the earlier whispers of déjà vu now becoming shouts.

Was it really him? His hair was longer, his body harder and more mature, the green in his eyes more wary, but the resemblance was there. It’d been years—twelve actually. The nineteen-year-old boy she’d known had become a man. “Jace Austin?”

***

Oh, shit. The recognition that flashed in the woman’s blue eyes had Jace dropping his hand. This chick knew him? He frantically flipped through his mental Rolodex, starting with the girls-I’ve-slept-with file.

When they’d locked gazes earlier, he’d felt a nudge of familiarity but had dismissed it. Surely, he’d remember this dark-haired beauty, especially if he had gotten the privilege of touching that lush little body. But something about her was poking at the recesses of his mind.

He rubbed the back of his neck and offered an apologetic smile. “Uh, yeah. Jace Austin. I’m sorry, have we met?”

She flinched a bit—the move subtle, but not lost on him. Damn, well now he felt like a jackass. Had they slept together?

She recovered quickly, the corner of her mouth tilting up. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I look a little different than I did at sixteen. Especially without that god-awful bottle red hair and eyebrow piercing.”

Sixteen? Red hair? The flashing list of names in his head suddenly flipped back over a decade and landed on one he hadn’t thought about in years. One he’d purposely tried to block out. No, couldn’t be. “Evangeline?”

She shrugged and looked out at the water, the wind whipping her hair around and disguising her expression. “It’s Evan now. I stopped using my full name a long time ago.”

“Wow, I don’t even know what to say,” he said, shaking his head. “You look great. I’m so glad to see that you’re . . .” Okay. Alive. “Here.”

She turned back toward him and smiled, though it didn’t light her face the way the earlier smiles had. “It’s good to see you, too. But, if you don’t mind, before we go down memory lane, how ’bout that vinegar?”

“Oh, right,” he said, his mind still whirling. “Follow me.”

And she needn’t worry. The last thing he was going to do was initiate any reminiscing. No, some things were better left buried. And how he’d destroyed the girl he’d sworn to look out for was A-number-one on that list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son. If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat.

Website: www.roniloren.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/roniloren

Facebook: www.facebook.com/roniloren

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/roniloren

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Roni will award an eBook copy of "Still Into You" to one randomly drawn commenter at every stop and a Book Grab Bag - Autographed copy of CRASH INTO YOU along with these books: Raziel by Kristina Douglas, Blood Stains by Sharon Sala, The Summer Garden by Paullina Simons, and Deadly Valentine by Justine Davis and Cindy Dees to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour (US/Canada only). The host with the most comments (US/Canada only) will win an Erotic Book Grab Bag - containing Explosive by Beth Kery, Tease Me by Tracy Wolff, Strip Search by Shayla Black, and Forbidden Heat by Opal Carew.

The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/05/virtual-book-tour-melt-into-you-by-roni.html