Please share a little about yourself, your genres,
any other pen names you use.
I am an ad copywriter by day, an
editor by night, and a writer in between. Married, no kids—and none on the
horizon. I’m allergic to all things furry, so it’s just me and the husband. I
grew up in a mid-sized Midwestern town that has more churches than stop signs,
and was raised partially by fundamentalist grandparents while my mother brought
home the bread. I only have the one penname—Rosalie Stanton, but should I ever
write anything but erotic romance, I’d likely do it under a different name so
as to not alienate my readership. My primary genres are paranormal erotic
romance and contemporary erotic romance.
Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming
release.
Lost Wages of Sin is a re-release with
my fab new publisher, Totally Bound. It was first released in 2011 at 54k. In
2013, I decided to expand and build upon the book as I likely should have the
first time. Now, the length is over 90k, with a lot more world building and
development. I feel I grew up a lot in the years since it was first released. I
didn’t set out to write a series back when the book first got its wings—it
reads now much more cohesively.
Is there a theme or message in your work that you
would like readers to connect to?
This series in particular is many
things to me, but the relationships between Heaven and Hell, particularly
Lucifer and Big J, might be contentious to some more devout readers. When I was
in college and pursuing my minor in religious studies, I found myself asking a
lot of the existential questions that eventually ended up in the story, in one
way or another. So I guess the message would be—I didn’t do this lightly. These
are things I’ve genuinely wondered, and I think those stories, the ones where
the author puts his or herself into it like this, are the best…if not for the
reader, then for the author. More of myself has gone into this series than any
other work because of that. I don’t expect everyone to like it, but it’s honest
on my part. Not just to piss people off.
What would your readers be surprised to learn about
you?
I suffered from scrupulosity as a
child, as a part of my OCD.
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have
any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
Working, most often. I have two jobs
which command most of my time. On occasion, I’ll play video games, but those
instances are few and far between. The most egregious guilty pleasure thing I
do is shop for clothes I don’t need.
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that
you haven’t tackled yet?
I’d like to do more straight urban
fantasy, and despite having numerous ideas, I haven’t been able to get around
to it. Eventually.
Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is
your favorite and why?
Lucifer is hands-down my favorite
character, namely because he hasn’t given away all his secrets yet. He’s very
witty, deeply affectionate, troubled, and has a hell of a temper (pardon the
pun). He’s going to be the most difficult hero to work with, because his past
experience, namely with his ex-wife, chases him throughout the series. But he
has a very good friend—or a very good former friend—who wants nothing but the
best for him, in his own way. Getting Lucifer and his old friend back to a
place where they are chummy is going to be a pill; getting Lucifer to fall in
love in a serious manner even more so, but I’m really looking forward to that
book, when I get there.
If this book is part of a series…what is the next
book? Any details you can share?
The next book features Luxi, Ava’s
sister, in the lead. Her hero is a preacher-turned-politician. I wanted to give
the Sin of Lust someone completely counterintuitive to fall for. She and
Grayson (said hero) like to argue. A lot.
What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled
upcoming releases or works in progress?
Yes, the second in the series,
entitled Sex, Sin and Scandal, is set
for release September 26. I’m currently preparing the third book for
submission, and am working on the fourth.
What book are you reading now?
I’m listening to the FBI/US Attorney
series by Julie James, thanks to Audible. I love it. She writes sexual tension
like nobody’s business.
What is in your to read pile?
Reap and Repent by Lisa Medley. It
looks awesome.
Lost Wages of Sin
Sinners and Saints
Book 1
Rosalie Stanton
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Date of Publication: June 13, 2014
ISBN: 9781784300487
ASIN: Not yet available
Number of pages: 260
Word Count: 91k
Book Description:
Working for Lucifer is the best job in the universe, until the day it’s not. Then you’re on your own, with Hell at your heels.
Ava, Sin of Greed, has had a rough week. The angel she planned to make a life with left her with nothing but a Dear Jane letter. Even worse, Lucifer believes she spilled Hell’s secrets to her ex, and her boss’s temper is notoriously apocalyptic.
For centuries, Dante kept his feelings for Ava under lock-and-key. The one time he pursued something more, he nearly lost her for good. Lesson learned. However, when he hears of her planned elopement, all bets are off. Not having Ava was a reality he could accept. Losing her to an angel is something else entirely.
Now, Ava, once Hell’s golden child, is fleeing for her life. When her old friend Dante shows up, her first instinct is to send him packing. But Dante is more than a friend—he’s the only other man who tempted her, and his fierce loyalty challenges everything she thought she knew about him. As Ava prepares to battle the devil himself, she can’t keep from getting closer to Dante…though she doubts her heart can survive another break.
Excerpt:
Someone
thumped her on the shoulder and sent her spiraling out of her thoughts. A jolt
rushed through her body and everything went on autopilot. Ava jumped to her
feet, formed a fist, and landed a blind punch in less than three seconds. It
took another ten seconds for her scattered mind to piece together what had just
occurred, and by then she was staring into an all-too familiar pair of crystal
blue eyes.
Ava
blinked. Hard. “Dante?”
“Fucking
hell,” he cursed, cradling his nose and scowling at her. “What’d you do that
for?”
“What
the hell were you sneaking up on me for?”
“I
didn’t sneak!”
Ava
looked around, then waved a hand. “This is a graveyard, Dante. In the middle of
the night in Nowheresville. You don’t just…I dunno, touch someone. You let
someone know you’re there.”
“And
here I thought getting your attention would do that just fine.”
“Not
like that!”
“Next
time I’ll read the fucking rule book.” Dante dropped his hands and sniffed. A
small fleck of blood colored the space between his nose and lips, but other
than looking a little swollen, he seemed otherwise undamaged. “If this is the
way you greet your friends, it’s no small wonder the whole of Hades is after
your sorry ass.”
Ava’s shoulders dropped and she rolled her
head back, a long groan riding off her lips. “You know about that?”
“What
other reason would I have to be… Where the fuck are we?”
“Mississippi.”
Dante
offered a dramatic sigh, though something in his eyes told her he’d only asked
for show. Even at his drunkest, he wasn’t the sort to forget what state he was
in.
“Mississippi,”
he muttered. “So that’s what that smell is.”
On
the other hand… Ava straightened her spine and arched an eyebrow at him.
“So…what? You come out here to make fun of the locals?”
“No,”
he replied coolly, wiping the stray speck of blood off his otherwise pale,
pristine skin. “I came here for you.”
Everything
in her stilled. Though she’d heard him the first time, the words had a way of
really sinking in upon repetition. As though it took a time delay for her to
realize there was no reason aside from her current problem that Dante should be
out here with her—or here at all. He wasn’t the sort of guy to crash in
antebellum tourist traps.
“You
came here for me,” she echoed. “Why?”
He
shrugged a shoulder, his face blanking the way it did when he wanted to appear
blasé. “Why not?”
“Come
on.”
“Thought
you could use a friend.”
Ava
stared at him a moment longer, then sighed heavily and tore her gaze to the
ground. Yeah, she supposed she could use a friend. Or a whole army of them. And
though Dante wasn’t the first person she would have called, she couldn’t deny
she was happy to see him.
Not
that his presence answered her questions. If anything, he added to the pile.
“I
take it Merle gave you the message,” she murmured. “About…”
“The
angel?” One perfect eyebrow arched. Actually, there wasn’t much about Dante
that wasn’t perfect. Physically, at
least. One of his most annoying qualities also happened to be his most prized.
There was nothing worse than a man who knew just how damn good he looked.
Truly,
Dante had always seemed a bit too perfect when it came to the male form. He was
only a few inches taller than she and had a body built for debauchery, complete
with strong arms and a marble-carved chest. Tonight, he was wrapped in a snug
pair of jeans and a form-fitting long-sleeved navy tee, which made his pale
skin seem paler. His hair was coal black and his eyes sparkled blue. Ava had
always loved his eyes.
And
thinking about his perfect eyes right now on the cusp of a broken heart while
all of Hell nipped her heels was probably the last in a very long line of bad
ideas. At once she felt overtly vulnerable, exposed. Standing in a strange town
under strange circumstances with him, her oldest friend, seeming one part
savior and one part…pissed.
Nothing
in her world made sense right now. Dante had just muddied things up even more.
“Yeah,”
she said when she remembered to speak. “The angel. Merle told you.”
Dante
nodded solemnly. “That was the plan, right?”
Ava
released a shaky breath, her mind spinning so fast it was a small wonder she
remained standing. Looking at Dante now with everything that had happened in
the past week still heavy on her heart, with the uncertainty of her future,
took her suddenly oddly-shaped world and turned it on its head. She felt like
she was living in the funhouse mirror version of her reality. Sebastian, then
the Binsfeld Six, and now her vampire.
At
some point she had to wake up.
“What
are you doing here?” she asked again. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“Not
much,” he admitted, stepping forward.
There
was something guarded in his gaze, and so help her if she started analyzing
every little look from Dante, she would lose her mind. Trying to figure out
what he was doing here was work enough.
“Not
much.”
He
nodded. “Just that you were out here. And you could use a friend.”
This
admission did little to answer her questions. Her friendship with Dante was not
a secret, by any means, yet she couldn’t speculate as to why anyone right now
would decide to throw her a lifeline. Being alone certainly hadn’t done much
for her…yet there was a good reason she hadn’t gone to Dante in the first
place.
Dante
was the kind of friend who was there for the good times and gone for the bad.
At least in her experience. If he had any idea what was really going on, he’d
make tracks. The large, cartoonish kind.
But
Dante didn’t know. Hell, he didn’t even know what she was. His knowledge beyond
his own kind was rather limited, and while his experience with others of
Lilith’s children left him with a relatively grounded understanding of how the
world worked, certain things—like Hell and all its residents—remained more or
less relegated to the realm of other.
He was aware Hell existed, sure, and had figured her for a demon early in their
relationship, but otherwise boasted little knowledge of Lucifer or the pit
beyond what was assumed through myth.
Seven
centuries and he had no idea she was part of that myth. She’d never mentioned
it, and he likely hadn’t thought to ask. His perception of her role had been
established on the legs of their meeting, which, as it was, had been entirely
accidental. It just so happened she didn’t like watching anyone, demon or
otherwise, suffer at the hands of holy men, and in saving Dante’s life all
those years ago, she’d earned a permanent ally.
Well,
until now. Her own brand of permanence was
about to run out, and of course Dante wouldn’t know why. If she explained the
significance of what had occurred with Sebastian, and how limited her future
was, he would be gone. She wouldn’t know to miss him.
Still,
she owed him explanations. Dante was the one loose end she had—the only one who
wouldn’t know why she was gone when Lucifer finally came to collect her life.
Her siblings knew what was coming. Dante was the last person to whom to pay her
regards.
Perhaps
that was why someone had sent him to her. So she could do right by her one
earthly friend and say goodbye.
“I
could,” Ava admitted softly. “Use a friend. I’m glad you’re here.”
A
shadow crossed Dante’s face. “That’s not good.”
She
frowned. “What? That I’m glad you’re here?”
“Yeah.
You’re never glad I’m near these
days.” He laughed shortly. “You must really be into some deep shit.”
“You
have no idea.”
“All
this over an angel.”
The
corner of Ava’s mouth pulled into a grin, and for a moment she felt somewhat
like her old self. “More or less.”
“An
angel, Ava. For fuck’s sake, what happened to your dignity?”
“Where
were you three weeks ago?”
“I
dunno, but if I’d known you were gonna be falling for one of those winged
assholes, you’d better believe I’d have dropped everything to beat some sense
into you.”
She
snickered. “Like you could take me.”
“You
never give me the chance to try,” he retorted, his eyes gleaming.
“Your
ego is too fragile to handle getting your ass handed to you by a girl.”
“So
you’ve told me. And told me. And told me. You know what they say about words
and actions, don’t you, love?”
A
small thrill raced down her spine, her insides igniting with heat and a rush of
good old-fashioned nostalgia. “Wanna grab a beer?” she asked. “Or, you know, a
burger? I don’t think I’ve eaten in a week.” She paused, then waved at him.
“You can consider it the last meal of a condemned man.”
“‘Cause
you’re gonna kick my ass, right?”
“That’s
the plan.”
Dante
grinned ear-to-ear. “Thought you’d never ask.”
About the Author:
Rosalie Stanton is a multi-published erotic romance author, with emphasis in paranormal and urban fantasy. A lifelong enthusiast of larger than life characters, Rosalie enjoys building worlds filled with strong heroes and heroines of all backgrounds.
Rosalie lives in Missouri with her husband. At an early age, she discovered a talent for creating worlds, which evolved into a love of words and storytelling. Rosalie graduated with a degree in English. As the granddaughter of an evangelical minister, Rosalie applied herself equally in school in the creative writing and religious studies departments, which had an interesting impact on her writing. When her attention is not engaged by writing or editing, she enjoys spending time with close friends and family.
Rosalie is represented by Tish Beaty at the L. Perkins Agency
https://www.goodreads.com/rosaliestanton
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