Friday, July 23, 2010

Authors Intervew YOU...Talk to Sloane Taylor & Win a FREE Book!

I'm pleased to announce that Sherry Strode is the winner of the free copy of Teddi Turns On! Congrats, Sherry!

Today, I continue my new series...with a twist. Instead of the standard author interview, where you read all about the author, I thought it would be cool to turn the tables and let the authors interview you.

Here's how it works:
1. Read and respond to the questions from the author below (just put your answers in the comment section).
2. Leave a way to contact you should you win a FREE book.

That's it! I'll pick a winner on Monday and send you your free escape. This week Sloane Taylor, author of several highly acclaimed erotic romances is offering you a copy of Teddi Turns On, her contemporary romance with an international twist, just for answering her questions below:

1 - Which is your preference to purchase print books or e-books?
2 - Do you read books written in first person? 
3 - Who do you relate to more the hero or heroine? 
4 - How much sex do you want to read in a book, 50%, 75%, or more?
5 - Do you always want the couple to stay together at the end of the story?

Just post your answers in the comments section below. Sloane and I will choose a winner within 48 hours and will announce it here and, hopefully, be in touch with you!

Bio:
Sloane Taylor is a sensual woman who believes humor and sex are healthy aspects of our everyday lives, which carry over into her books. Her stories are set in Europe where the men are all male and the North American women they encounter are both feminine and strong. A true romantic, the women Sloane writes will bring more than lust to their men’s lives.

Born and raised in Chicago, Sloane and Studly, her mate for life, split their time between a home in Illinois and a weekend cottage on the back roads of Indiana...or you can catch up with her as she travels though Europe, researching new material.

To learn more about Sloane and her writing, please visit her at www.sloanetaylor.com or www.myspace.com/sloanetaylor. Sloane loves to hear from readers. Feel free to email her at sloanetaylor@comcast.net.

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21 comments:

  1. Hi Sloane, hmmm... these are some great questions you have. I love Teddi, she was one of my fave heroines of yours.

    1. Definitely a print girl, though ebooks certainly have their attraction.

    2. I absolutely read first person. I love being able to identify with the main character so completely.

    3. Heroine, though there have been stories where the hero had my number.

    4. It depends on the story.

    5. An HEA or HFN is not necessary to me. Sometimes, people go their separate ways.

    Have a great weekend!

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  2. Hi Melissa,

    Thanks for the answers. I've been toying with a first person idea since forever. You've given me a boost of confidence.:)

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  3. 1. I prefer print (I love to have the book in my hand) but I read a lot of ebooks though.

    2. I do read books in the 1st person but it's not my choice.

    3. I think it depends on the book some I think most of the time it's the heroine.

    4. It depends on what kind of reading mood I'm on sometimes I'm happy with just 25% and sometime I love 75%.

    5. YES, I want the couple to be together at the end of the book. I hate a book where there isn't a happy ending and the couple split up. I read to get away from the real world.

    sstrode@scrtc.com

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  4. Hi Sloane!

    Thanks for coming aboard! Your questions are provocative:

    1. I used to think I preferred print, and then I got a Kindle and that was a game-changer. Now I find myself sometimes buying books I already have in print for the Kindle, just so I can read them on there.
    2. Yes...a good story, well told, can be told from any point of view...and often from multiple POV's as long as you make the shifts clear to a reader.
    3. The heroine
    4. Less is more. We all know the, er, ins and outs of the process...I may be old fashioned, and this may be surprising to some, but I prefer something left to the imagination.
    5. It depends on the story. I want what makes sense and what the story's internal logic dictates.

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  5. Hi Sloane,

    I love the questions.

    1. I'm starting to head more toward e-books. I'm starting to purchase books I already have in print in e formats. Since getting my Sony for Christmas, and now using it more, I find I really like it. I still do print books for my commute on the train.

    2 - Occasionally, but they have to be by authors I've already read.

    3 - The heroine, but sometimes I can really see where the hero is coming from.

    4 - I'd say it would have to do with the sub-genre I'm reading in. If I'm reading erotic romance I expect more sex. If I'm reading a Harlequin Romance I don't expect much.

    5 - Yes, and I want to believe that couple will stay together.

    Have a great day.

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  6. 1 - Which is your preference, print books or e-books?

    Right now it's print, and with some books it always will be (I think) but I'm planning to buy a Kindle as soon as my one credit card is paid off from the wedding I attended last week ;-). I'm really looking forward to that.

    2 - Do you read books written in first person?

    I love books in first person. It gets me into the head of the first person person ;-)pretty quickly, and I love a book that I can immerse myself in immediately. Go for it, Sloane. A book in first person is a LOT of fun to write.

    3 - Who do you relate to more, the hero or the heroine?

    The heroine OR the hero, depending on whose book it actually is. If it's a good book I can sink right into it no matter what gender the lead is.

    4 - How much sex do you want to read in a book, 50%, 75%, or more?

    Like Rick, to me, less is more. I've read books where it's one sex scene after another and I get bored pretty fast if that's all there is. Also, it depends on the expertise of the writer.

    5 - Do you always want the couple to stay together at the end of the story?

    Well, it's always nice, unless one of them has to be killed off. Ya better have a darned good reason though, if you kill one of the leads off because so many readers don't seem to like that, and they WILL let you know about it.

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  7. Good morning, Sloane!

    1- I read both print and ebooks. Since I sit at the computer all day, I have grown very fond of ebooks and Amazon Kindle for PC.

    2- Yes, I read a lot of first person. I read a lot of mystery/thrillers, a genre were you see a lot of first person used.

    3- Do I identify with the hero or heroine more? It depends on the story. Unlike most of the comments so far, it's not always the heroine I identify with.

    4- How much sex I like in a book depends on the story. Typically, I'm all for sex in a book. Shocking. I know. LOL But if the sex is just there so there is sex in a book, if it doesn't move the story or the characters forward, then IMHO it doesn't belong.

    5- Yes, yes and oh, hell, yes. If it's a romance, it must be happily-ever-after. Even when I read from a genre other than romance, I LOVE to see the H/H together at the end. I'm a romantic, what can I say.

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  8. WOW! A girl goes to grab a cup of coffee and a few smokes and the blog goes wild. LOL

    Thank you all for the wonderful responses and a HUGE thanks to Rick for allowing me to do a little research for my future work.:)

    Excellent answers, Ladies and Rick, and truly helpful. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to respond.

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  9. 1 - Which is your preference to purchase print books or e-books?

    Because of the price, I find myself buying e-books, and I recently invested in a netbook so downloading and reading is a pleasure. I learned with PDF, you simply rotate the view, click on full screen, and you hold the much smaller netbook just like a book and turn pages with a flick of your thumb on the space bar. Love it.

    2 - Do you read books written in first person?

    First person is not my choice, but I prefer a book written in first person over a third person version with tons of "internal thoughts" written in first person. Yanks me right out of the story. One or two internal thoughts is plenty, short and sweet, but when the thoughts turn to paragraphs, oy vey!

    3 - Who do you relate to more the hero or heroine?

    That depends on the storyline and how the author connects me with one or the other. Of course, I'm usually going to relate to the heroine, as very few write from the male perspective.

    4 - How much sex do you want to read in a book, 50%, 75%, or more?

    I'm a prude. There aren't many authors besides Sloane and Lisabet Sarai who have enticed me with their sexuality. I like a story with the sex, and sometimes authors who write the more erotic stuff forget that important point. Normally, 50% is even high for me as I'm a "closed door" person. I can't get my granny's warning out of my head about little boys wanting to get into my panties. I was well into my teens when I figured out what they would do when they got there! *lol*

    5 - Do you always want the couple to stay together at the end of the story?

    Everyone wants a HEA, but it's become so predicable. Some of the greatest movies have ended with the couple breaking up, or one dying. Although we write fiction, we try to mimic real life and not everything is rosy all the time. I like when authors write outside the box and surprise me. Of course, you have to convince a publisher it's okay to be different.

    This was fun. I've never been interviewed in this manner. Sloane is one of my favorite friends and "hot" authors.

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  10. Sloane,
    I just answered all the questions and when I hit "post comment" I got an error saying the URL was too long. Have no idea what that meant, but I wanted you to know I was here and played along. Loved the post, and liked being interviewed in comments. I had some great answers, but no one will ever see them. *sniff*

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  11. Ginger...no worries. They're all there.

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  12. Ging, you're making me blush.:) Thanks for your opinions.

    I love your Granny. Wish she would have told me the same thing. LOL.

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  13. Okay...the gremlins are teasing me again. I swear it was there after I got that weird message and refreshed the screen. Honest!

    ginger

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  14. Hi Sloane!! Okay
    1. I like print better, but as soon as I purchase an iPad I'll be 50/50 buying more ebooks.
    2. Yes
    3. Heroine
    4. 50% sex but there has to be a plot, a relationship, or hot sex because there's a reason for hot sex and written well. I like sex scenes from the hero's pov too. I find it a real turn on.
    5. Not necessary they stay together. Has to have a satisfying conclusion.

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  15. Hi Yasmine,

    Thanks for stopping by. I like your answer to #4 and agree with you.:)

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  16. Long time no see, Sweetie and I miss you. You too, Melissa.
    Keep writing

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  17. Hello, Sloane,

    I can never resist someone asking me for my opinion. And I think this is a great idea for a blog. I might steal it ;^)

    1. These days, about half and half.
    2. I love first person stories, if they are well written. I love to write in first person too.
    3. It really depends on the story and the characters--as well as the writing style. To some extent I think the author controls who you will identify with based on the POV. (Oh and I often read M/M so there is no "heroine".)
    4. Not a meaningful question to me. I love a sexy story but only when the sex is an integral part of the story--advancing the plot and revealing the characters. Sex for its own sake is boring.
    5. Actually I also get bored with HEA. I don't mind a conclusion where there are future possibilities and future problems suggested but nothing is really "resolved" about the relationship.

    But I know that I'm weird.

    Best,
    Lisabet

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  18. *CRACKS KNUCKLES lol*

    1. I like both print and ebook. I BUY more ebooks recently, because the cost is lower, it's the best/only way to access a lot of the fiction I like, it's so much more portable on my ereader, and I don't have to face Hubby's wrath at yet more books in piles in the living room! But I still like print as well.

    2. First person POV? Love it! Reading *and* writing it. It's risky though, because you empathise with the narratorm and if you don't take to him/her, the whole thing palls pretty quickly.

    3. Well, I can relate to both! Depends on the character, not the plumbing. And of course in m/m, I usually only have the choice of hero or hero :). (does this make me weird...?!_)

    4. Well, obviously the amount of sex should follow and reflect the rest of the story - to be in balance. And I think it also depends on what I'm feeling like reading at the time. I admit I always do like *some* - or physical intimacy of some kind - but I don't mind very little. And some of the best books I've ever read have been YA with nothing explicit. I smile at the thought of trying to put a percentage to it. If it's too much, where else can the author fit the plot?! LOL

    5. HEA? Well, I'd say that if I'be grown to know and love the characters, I always *hope* there'll be HEA. But I'd never expect an author to build it in automatically, just for me LOL. I have an imagination of my own, right? Though there have been a couple of books in my life where I've got to the end and just *wailed* at what the author's done to the poor main charachers. But, after all, it's *their* book...

    Great questions Sloane!! And looking forward to your new release later this month!!!
    *hugs*

    PS don't enter me because I've already got all your books ^_^

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  19. Hi Lisabet and Clare!

    Great to see you both. Thanks for the answers!

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  20. This blog shows up on my Facebook page and Marty McCann posted the following response there:

    1. Just about anything by Rick R. Reed. I got away from reading, because I found most novels too long and over-detailed. I really don't need to know what route a character's blood took to get to his left ventricle. Rick's prose is conci...se, but fully fleshed. His characters are deeply developed. IM gave me the joy of reading back. I would probably recommend IN THE BLOOD. It drew me in from the opening phrase and held me in its thrall. I did nightly battle, wanting to read more, but not wanting to go too fast, because I didn't want it to end.

    2. Subject matter and a catchy cover picture/blurb. Thrillers, horror and mystery are my big draws. Can't imagine how Rick R. Reed became my favorite author, can you? ;-)

    3. As much as I empathize with Edward from IN THE BLOOD, I would have to say Maria from the same novel. I would sit there mesmerized while she told me about one of my favorite cities, Venice, when it was new. If I survived the encounter, I would be writing a book.

    4. IN THE BLOOD, ORIENTATION, BASHED, ROSEMARY'S BABY, WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and CURTAIN.

    5. A sea day on a cruise to ancient lands, on my balcony with a bottle of water (or beer), and the latest by Rick R. Reed.

    I can be reached at aphid9@aol.com. Thanks.

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  21. Hi Marty,

    I heartily agree Rick is one of the best authors of our time. Thanks for the answers.

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