Author Dara Young's New Release and Amazon Goodies!




Author Dara Young is my guest blogger today. Read on! For readers who have left comments throughout Dara's tour, you could win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com, and for those who leave comments here, I'll giveaway three kindle edition copies of "The Cancan Dancer!"
I'm happy to have you visit with me today,Dara! Tell us a bit more about yourself, your writing, and of course, your new release :-)

How long have you been writing?

With the intent to be published? Since 2009, so three years now. But I have always played at it here and there.

What genres do you write besides historical romance?

I have a paranormal romance I’m working on that’s about a group of superheroes. I’d like to write something in a steampunk vein as well.

Do you write to music? If so what was the sound track to The Cancan Dancer and the Duke?

I do often have music on when I write. I listened to a lot of classical music, including Offenbach who wrote the music for the Cancan. 

Where do you write?

On my couch or in my bed. I have tried to set up a desk, but the reality is I write all over the place depending on my mood and the weather.

What is the most you have written in one day?

I think I did 6K in one day. I was so exhausted I can’t remember. LOL!

You have to jump out of a plane w/ a holey parachute or edit your 100K MS by hand, what. do. you. do?

Where’s my red pen and paper? Cause seriously, there is just no reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. 

What inspired you to write your first book?

I was out of books by my favorite authors and I was really bored at work with surfing the web. I worked in an industry where the work came in waves, so some days were just really slow. I started writing to strengthen my typing skills and so I’d look a little busy.

Do you have a specific writing style?

I suppose I do, but I couldn’t tell you what it was. I am certainly wordy, so I think my style lends itself to writing historical. But then, when I write contemporary stuff, I can be totally snarky and that fits me really well too.

How did you come up with the title?

It was pretty obvious. I kind of went with that classic historical romance title.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Sort of. I danced in a ballet in high school that was about the artist Toulouse-Lautrec and it included a cancan. The dance really stuck with me and it seemed like a fun topic to write about.

Do you see writing as a career?

I’d like it to be, but for now I have to go to my day job. I really can’t afford to stay home and write full time until I write a few more books. But by all means, feel free to contribute to my dream. *wink*

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

This is from the Superheroes WIP:

Dalton watched as the firemen up and down the motel stood looking at each other confused. One minute they were fighting the fire and the next it was out. That's not how fighting fires worked. It was a process. A battle. It was not a switch that someone flipped and it was gone. The radio chirped into his ear reminding him he had a job to do.

"Everyone stand ready. I'm going to check on the woman and see if I can get a closer look." He closed his turnout up and buckled the strap on his helmet.

It was a slow climb up the stairs on the unburned end of the building. On the second floor, about halfway down the structure, stood a half-naked woman. Her red hair streamed around her, brushing the middle of her back. Her white t-shirt just covered what looked like a nicely shaped ass clad in matching white panties. Muscular and shapely, her long, lush legs stood solidly underneath her. Cream skin glowed softly in the ambient light from the street. There was no sign of fire, so he sidled up next to the woman to see what she was staring at so intently.

"Miss?” She seemed to be taking deep breaths, but did not respond. Wary of her lashing out at him, he peeked in the door of the burnt out room they were in front of. Holy Hestia! The walls looked like someone had punched through them with a sledgehammer and then took a big gnarly saw to the pipes. The room was soaked.

"Miss? Are you okay?" He reached out to gently touch her shoulder.

"What?" Big blue eyes looked at him dazed and unfocused, but it wasn't from drug use. She was the source of the power draw he felt earlier. He knew the look in her eyes and the confusion that came from an unexpected burst of power. An uncontrolled burst. An incog.

"Why don't we head down the stairs here? We can get you a blanket and maybe some pants." Yeah. She needed pants like yesterday before all his men got completely distracted. Before he got distracted.

"Oh, here. This is my room." She stepped in the open door to his left and grabbed a bag. She pulled the door closed and then pulled a pair of shorts from the bag. She handed them to him.

"Um. They're for you. Can you put them on?"

"Oh. Sorry. I'm a little..." She didn't finish, just dropped the bag and pulled the shorts on. Clothed, she picked it back up and looked at him.

"No problem miss." He just wanted to get her off the balcony and let the men get on with their work. Then he could figure out who she was and where she came from.

Thanks for stopping by to celebrate with me and remember to comment on each post during the blog tour for more chances to win! (Not sure what I'm talking about? Click here.)
The Cancan Dancer and The Duke
The Wild Rose Press

Can a lady on the lam and a duke on the make find love at the Moulin Rouge?
Cathedrals and museums are not Lady Charise Colton’s idea of European adventure. Turn-of-the-century Paris beckons, and she wants to grab it while she can…or rather, cancan. Flirting with fate and half of Paris, Charise eludes her chaperones and joins the cancan revue at the Moulin Rouge.
Ethan Greer, Duke of Lofton, is in Paris to settle some estate business. Chafing under his responsibilities, he discovers an enchanting distraction at the Moulin Rouge, a flirtatious dancer who stirs his lust and something more. He must have her—even if it means offering carte blanche.
Terrified of discovery, Charise tries to hold her persistent suitor at bay, though her heart has already surrendered. Will she lose him if he learns the truth, or is love enough to bind the cancan dancer and the duke?

Excerpt:
The singular sound was a soft whisper at first. The audience strained forward to catch even a note of the eerie melody carried on the fetid air of the cafe. As the song picked up, her voice grew stronger, the words more clear. Ethan relaxed into his seat and let the warm rich alto caress him. His body grew warm with the promises carried by the witch’s husky tones.
He remained unaware of anything in the room except the siren walking toward him. Each steady, unhurried step she took further drew him in. His gaze feasted on the curve of her hip, the swell of her breast. Ethan rode the knife’s edge between lust and propriety.
The song described, in lurid detail, two lovers in the throes of passion. Upon reaching him, the dancer propped the toe of her boot onto the edge of his seat—square between his thighs. The luscious creature presented impossibly sheer bloomers which hid everything and yet nothing, causing him to let out the breath he, until now, unknowingly held. His cock grew rigid, the uncomfortable throbbing causing him to shift. The desire to haul her into his arms and demonstrate every action she described with the most sensuous mouth he’d ever seen rode him hard. Her full lower lip begged for his kiss. Ethan wanted to see it slick and glowing pink from his attentions.
The wanton dancer continued to taunt him, but his good breeding won out. Forcing himself to stay seated, his fists balled and his jaw grew rigid with frustration, but his raging lusts remained leashed. The song ended, sending her into the nether regions of the cafe in a swirl of skirts.

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Thank you so much for sharing your new release with us today, Dara! Good luck on the Amazon.com gift card to those of you who've been commenting throughout Dara's blog tour, and I'll announce winners of the Kindle edition copies of Dara's new release here on Monday! Make sure to leave your e-mail address. Happy Mother's Day :-) 




Comments

Dariel Raye said…
Welcome, Dara! I'm happy to have you visiting today.
Dara Young said…
Thanks for having me today!
Dariel Raye said…
This is a tough day to post, the day before Mother's Day, but what's one of your most trying challenges as a writer, and how are you dealing with that challenge?
Dara Young said…
Time. Making time to write vs. promo/day job/marriage/etc... LOL!
Dariel Raye said…
Yes, I think the whole time/balance thing is a universal problem!