Giveaway, Interview, and Sneak Peek at Trust in Me by Skye Warren

Welcome to this stop on Skye's tour!!  I have had her on here before and I am very happy to welcome her back!!  She was kind enough to answer some questions about her writing, and share a little insight into her processes!  Let's get to know a little bit more about the woman behind the awesome books:

How old were you when you first realized you wanted to write?

Very young when I knew that I would write and very old by the time I did. I’ve always been an avid reader and lover of books, and spared no expense to daydream up my own inventions. If ever I disliked an ending to the book, I just thought up a new one.

I sat down and put my fingers to the keyboard for the first time only a couple of years ago. It took a while to grasp the mechanics of writing (both technical and story fundamentals) – I had to learn the tools of the trade. It’s a long neverending road to mastery, but at this point I can execute the stories that I want to tell.

I have done that plenty of times.  I still wish the Phantom would get the girl at the end of Le Phantom..Most authors have an unusual story or way that they come up with their ideas for books…Do you have one?

I’m not sure how I came up with this idea, but the idea itself is pretty unusual. I read a lot of romantic suspense and so often we see the heroine in the villain’s clutches, just waiting for the hero to rescue her. I love this storyline. It’s very modern day fairy tale, where the hero is the knight and the bad guy/serial killer/rapist is the dragon.

I thought to myself, what if the hero gets there too late? How would that change the story? Furthermore, what if it was the hero who did the hurting or raping? Would it be possible to create an HEA (a romantic happy ending) between him and the heroine?

That’s how the idea for the Erotic Nonconsent series was born. The first book, Keep Me Safe, fulfills that premise. The second one, Trust in Me, is a variation on it but the principle is the same. The hero is the villain, or is he?

What a wicked twist!!  What was your biggest influence that steered you towards writing?

This may sound odd considering I write dark erotica, but I would have to say Ayn Rand. Her books are most well known for their philosophy, and rightfully so. But they also had compelling plot and writing. Lastly, they were also romances. No, they are not recognized as such by most people, and possibly some fans would be aghast to realize that they love a romance novel, but they are so romantic!

I first read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged back in high school. I was in awe at the skill it took to weave those thread together, but that taught me that I was only going to write when I had something unique to say.

I love romances, and happily ever afters! I have to ask, what are the hardest scenes for you to write?

Scenes where not much is happening. That is probably why I write dark erotica with suspense elements, because there’s not much of that. But I still might need it for pacing or tension purposes and it’s a struggle. If a scene isn’t moving for me, then it’s probably not doing much for the reader. That’s my barometer for whether I’m heading in the right direction. I have to feel something – excitement, fear, anger, arousal, something – when I’m writing and that’s the only way I can convey those feelings through my words. I can’t make you feel fear if I don’t feel it. I can’t make you turned on if I don’t feel that either. Basically, with writing, impossible to fake it.

Sounds like something that is good to go by. Are sex scenes difficult for you to word?

Sex scenes have always come naturally to me. That’s not to say it doesn’t take care with wording. Too much and a scene can become laughable or gross. Too little and it feels flowery or forced. To complicate things further, each reader has a different view of where these thresholds are. I love to play with words and I love to write about sex, so I don’t find this a hardship at all J

Yes, all readers definitely have different needs..lol. Do you see yourself writing in another genre?

I write dark erotica under the name Skye Warren. I’m also writing erotic romance and historical romance but they will be published under different names.

Excellent!!  Has your family been supportive?

Absolutely.

Are any of your characters reflective of you?

All of my character are reflective of me. I think it would be impossible for me to write a character who wasn’t – at least with any depth. That doesn’t mean that I’ve experienced everything they have, or even a fraction of it.

The heroine from Trust in Me is the girlfriend of a crime lord, except he abuses her and she feels she cannot leave. I’ve never dated a crime lord and my husband is as nice as can be, so when I talk about her reactions, I think about my own experiences. When have I been the victim of violence – even if the incident was a lot smaller than the one being described on the page? When I have felt slighted or belittled or hurt by the people who are supposed to care for me? I have to draw on my own experiences in order to make my character’s reactions and motivations authentic.

That is an interesting way to write. Who is your favorite book heroine?

Oh gosh, probably Mia from Trust in Me. She’s such a survivor.

Do you have any unusual habits that revolve around writing?

I have to write at night, right around the witching hour. It started as a requirement, because that’s when I had time after work and putting the kiddo to bed. Now it’s a habit and it’s when my creativity flows best.

LOL..I can totally relate.  When the babies are finally in bed you can write!!  What is your favorite mystical creature?

Fairies, probably.

What were some of your biggest challenges at the beginning of your career?

Probably every writer struggles with reconciling the book of their heart to the commercial straight-and-narrow. If you’re close, then it can make sense to color within the lines and reach a wider audience. However, with dark nonconsent/thriller/horror erotica with an HEA, well, I figured that was a lost cause. It sounds easy now, but it took some soul searching at the time.

How do you feel about reader comments?

I love getting emails from my readers! It’s a huge present and I’m so grateful for each one. As for reviews, well, I don’t respond and only read them once in a while.  From a critical reading point of view, I can get a lot of the criticisms from my writer buddies and beta readers. Once the book is where I want it, it’s up to the reader (and their experiences, viewpoint, beliefs, etc) as to how they read it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Decide what’s important to you – writing the book you want or writing the book readers won’t complain about. The latter is impossible, of course, but if that’s your goal, you can get close. Really, we want both, but at some point you’ll reach a crossroads and have to decide.

Excellent advice! Where are your books available?

They’re available from the major online e-tailers – Amazon, B&N, All Romance Ebooks, etc. You can find more information and buy links for Trust in Me at my website:

http://skyewarren.com/books/trust-in-me

What can we expect from you in the future?

I have the next few books in the Erotic Nonconsent mapped out, and since the first in that series is doing ten times better than my somewhat more traditional erotic romance, then I’d have to say that’s what my readers want as well!

Where can we reach you and become informed of updates?

Thanks for having me! I blog at http://skyewarren.com and am on twitter at @skye_warren.

 Thanks for coming back Skye!!  LOL!!  Now for the good stuff!!  Let's take a look at the book up for grabs and sneak a look inside:

Can love be found between a whore and a knight in tarnished armor?

Mia longs for the daily torture to end, but one last task keeps her holding on. In a betrayal of the crime lord who pulled her from the gutter, she’ll free the shipment of human cargo, and if she’s lucky, die in the process. The alternative is unfathomable, even to a woman well-versed in erotic torture. But luck abandons her yet again when she meets the security expert in charge of the shipment and finds herself face to face with her childhood crush. The man she once begged for help. The man who failed her.

Tyler Martinez is an undercover FBI agent with one chance to right the wrongs of his past. Thrust deep into the seedy world of human trafficking, he must put aside his guilt over abandoning Mia all those years ago in order to save her now.

Someone’s pulling the strings in this sadistic play on trust, but Tyler and Mia may not live long enough to see the curtain fall. Trust in Me is a story of erotic pain and incipient romance, spiraling ever faster toward betrayal or redemption.

WARNING:
This book contains explicit scenes of dubious consent, graphic violence and sex. It also depicts abuse and captivity situations. Not appropriate for anyone uncomfortable with these situations or anyone under the age of eighteen. This is a work of fiction.

Buy it now: http://skyewarren.com/books/trust-in-me/

EXCERPT

Carlos looked down at me from his seat with a half-smile. The guy next to him was speaking in low, urgent tones, but I had his attention.

Other whores might try coy smiles or a flash of cleavage, but if you really knew El Jefe—and, unfortunately, I did—then you knew all you had to do was drop to his feet. I knew what he wanted and how he liked it, knowledge born of years of training. As long as I behaved, he wouldn’t kill me. I craved the release of death, but I was too well trained to earn it.

I reached his leather shoes and waited. The same Italian leather shoes that had kicked me only recently, but they weren’t a danger to me now. Carlos didn’t like to get too messy when he had guests. Even though I didn’t like performing, I could be glad this new guy was around today. Then again, I’d probably have to service him next.

Carlos unzipped his pants.

The guy sucked in a quiet breath, as if we’d shocked him.

That wouldn’t stop Carlos. He wasn’t an exhibitionist. He was a sadist, and the only thing better than causing someone physical pain was causing him emotional discomfort. Every pinch was designed to humiliate, every blow to subjugate. You’re not worthy, they said, and I lapped up every blow to my shrunken ego like the masochist I’d learned to be. 

GIVEAWAY

Skye Warren is giving away a copy of Trust in Me to a commenter from each stop in the blog tour. In addition, every comment along the way enters you in the drawing for a $20 Amazon gift certificate. What’s your favorite thing about stories with dark, dangerous themes? Do you like reading about anti-heroes, or romances where the heroine can’t trust the hero, at least at first? Fill out the rafflecopter and answer the question for your chance to win!!

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