The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom: Happy Thanksgiving with Letty James

Thank you Wenona for having me today. Happy Thanksgiving to you and all your readers. I hope everyone has a great book to read after all that turkey. There’s nothing I like better than curling up in a quiet cozy nook and getting lost in a great story.

Welcome Letty, and Happy Thanksgiving.

I agree, after a long day of cooking and family I love to relax with a good book. Looking forward to it tonight, if I don't fall asleep first LOL.

Let's kick off this interview, share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

I decided to stick with only Letty James (yes, it’s a pen name) so my readers could find all my other books. Along with contemporary romance, I enjoy writing erotica and mysteries. I even have a fantasy in the works. I’m an eclectic reader and my writing reflects that. I’ve been noodling around with writing (that means not finishing anything) since 1990. Finally, in 2005, I took on the challenge of National Novel Writing Month and completed a manuscript. What an eye-opener that was! I gave up wine (ack!) and housework (no problem) and devoted many late hours to it. So if any of you out there are procrastinating on your NaNoWriMo writing by reading this – get back to it!

Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.

Mistress for Hire is a contemporary romance, with lovely sexy bits, set in Paris.

Here’s the blurb:

Stranded in Paris, Nikki Sommers is desperate for a job, willing to sweep the floors of a local bakery. But Gérard Beauvais knows where Nikki needs to be – not in the bakery, but in his bed. Offering her a job as his personal assistant, Gérard introduces Nikki to the workings of international business, along with the romance and beauty of Paris. Nikki falls under Gérard’s magnetic spell, only to get a nasty surprise when she discovers she is merely a pawn in an international scandal involving her own sister. Her heart is torn between family and a love she had only fantasized about. Will she win Gérard’s heart or only be his Mistress for Hire?

For all you writers out there, I’ll give you a tip. When you’re writing a blurb, think of how your title reflects the whole of the novel and how can you incorporate it in your pitch or blurb.

Are you a mom?

YES! And it’s one of the best and worst jobs ever! A daughter and a son, seven years apart. We consider our son a bit of a miracle baby as I was 40 when he was born.

My 3 kids are all 7 years apart :-)

Do you find it hard to juggle writing and parenting?

Absolutely, that’s why I insist that the rest of the family help with household chores. I joke with people that I have given up housework in order to write. I also find that housework is a good way to procrastinate with writing. Seriously, some of my best ideas come around when I’m washing dishes.

Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life?

Very loosely. I like to create male lead characters who I would like to be around. But when neighbors ask me if I’ve tried all the things in my erotica stories, the answer is no. Would I like to? Maybe. But not with them. Tee hee.

Is there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect to?

Humor can be found in anything. So can romance.

When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?

My day job is in education. I have a side business in painting/crafting. My guilty pleasures are buying way too many books and eating too much junk food. Cow Tails, anyone? And Netflix – what a time sucker!

Which romance book or series (or other genre, if you don’t write romance) do you wish you had written?

Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Any series by Charlaine Harris. The Lytton Family series by Penny Vincenzi, or anything by Marian Keyes. Can you tell I love books set in Europe?

Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?

I have a fantasy mystery in the works. Dragons and elves, oh my!

Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?

I do love Gérard Beauvais because he is so utterly male. Stubborn, bull-headed, and deep down a romantic. He is loosely based on Gérard Depardieu, a French actor.

If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?

Technically, it’s not a series. But, the next book follows Nikki’s sister Jessica. I was intrigued to see if I could craft a likeable character from one who had few redeeming qualities at the time. I think she turned out quite well, if I say so myself. It’s set in Scotland with the working title The Laird Needs a Wife.

What book are you reading now?

Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series. Hilarious! Just finished Eloisa James’ An Affair Before Christmas. I thought it was fitting for this time of year. Sweet and sexy. Her Poppy reminds me a bit of my Nikki.

What is in your to read pile?

So many books, so little time! I think my next TBR book will come from my Kindle. I’ve loaded so many books on there, I’m sure I’ll be up to all hours tonight lost in another world. Let me know how you like Mistress for Hire.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. À bientôt! See you soon! Thank you again, Wenona.

Thanks for being here, Letty. Enjoy Thanksgiving and try not to slip into turkey coma too early. LOL

Mistress for Hire

Letty James

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing

Date of Publication: October 15, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-61935-565-1

Number of pages: 172

Word Count: 50,000

Book Description:

Nikki falls under Gérard’s magnetic spell, only to get a nasty surprise when she discovers she is merely a pawn in an international scandal involving her own sister. Her heart is torn between family and a love she had only fantasized about.

Will she win Gérard’s heart or only be his Mistress for Hire?

Available at Amazon

Excerpt Chapter One

He entered the pâtisserie like a conquering warrior, indecisive patrons falling aside in the wake of his determination to reach the pastry case. His nostrils flared as he inhaled the essence of the bakery. Nikki shrank back from the power emanating from him as clearly as the smell of freshly baked bread rippled from the ovens in back.

Her grandmother’s letter crumpled in her hand. She thrust it into the pocket of her jacket.

The proprietress pushed through the other gray-haired clerks to wait on the man. “Bonjour, Gérard. What can I get for you today?”

To Nikki, the air in the bakery stood still as the massive man swept his chestnut mane off his forehead and his eyes scanned the wide display case full of sweet delicacies.

“Un petit macaron de mangue, s’il vous plaît.”

One small mango macaroon? How could such a large man limit himself to one bite?

“How are we to stay in business with customers ordering one macaron at a time?” she scolded him teasingly as one would a child.

He smiled slowly, his face softening as he looked at her. “Madame, you would make me fat.” He patted his exceptionally trim middle.

“Hmpf.” Madame shook her head and began to fill a large white cardboard box with pastries. Before she could close it, he thrust out his meaty hand, gesturing for the macaron. Nikki pushed her glasses up her nose, watching as he popped the red-and-orange-tinted cookie into his mouth. He closed his eyes, his face tilted toward the heavens, and his hands clenched the lapels of his black wool coat.

His groans and sighs filled the small room. Nikki’s body flushed as she imagined him groaning like that over a woman—over her. She pushed her glasses up again and wiped the perspiration off her upper lip, watching his tongue move under his lips, over his teeth. She couldn’t look away. She felt the pleasure as he felt it. The barely-there crunch of crust, the smooth interior, the silk of mango cream across his tongue. His tongue that would slide across hers when he kissed her. Sucking wet kisses that would consume her.

His eyes opened, a smoky blue-gray, targeting her, his stare pinning her to the wall. Could he see her lust—exposed as clearly as if she were naked before him? Nikki held his hot gaze, desire shimmering between them, then broke the contact, staring down unseeing toward the glass case. Her gut clenched and her heart pounded. By the time she looked up, his broad back blocked the light from the door. Not thinking, she stepped after him, only to be caught up short by the swirling gray fog. He had disappeared, taking her fantasies with him.

***

Gérard Beauvais adjusted his scarf against the chill wind, rustling dry leaves through the dark cobblestone alley and cursed his morning flight of fancy. As he strode away, he ran his hand down his face, blowing out a sigh. His reaction to the blonde had startled him—an instant attraction that made him forget the sensations in his mouth and feel other longings. He’d forced himself to turn away and not be tempted. He had enough aggravation in his life. But something about her niggled at his brain. Her high cheekbones, the tilt of her head.

Merde!

He stopped short, the string of the pastry box cutting into his fingers. Of course! She had to be Jessica’s sister! The younger one supposedly still in the States. Once he realized it, the family resemblance was obvious, although he had never reacted to Jessica in such a physical way. Cursing his weakness, he tamped it down, his mind rolling over other complications.

Had she come to demand ransom for the files Jessica held hostage? Gérard turned to confront the conniving bitch, tossing the pastries into the nearest trashcan. He would shake her until the answers rattled out of her head.

Rounding the corner, he halted, seeing Tante Emmaline and the blonde in the window. Emmaline patted the younger woman while she wiped her tears with a tissue. Crocodile tears. Jessica only had to pull that trick on him once to see he was immune. Emmaline certainly had a softer heart than he as she pulled the woman further into the bakery, probably to fill the thief’s belly with sweets while listening to some preposterous sob story.

Gérard’s eyes narrowed as he stepped back into the warmth of the bakery.

About the Author:

Letty James has been devouring romance novels ever since she hid under the covers reading Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. And, yes, searching for all the sexy parts. She completed her first novel participating in National Novel Writing Month in 2005 and has been writing furiously ever since, fueled by chocolate and multiple cups of tea.

Along with writing, she enjoys reading, painting, watching movies featuring studly men, and listening in on other people’s conversations.

www.lettyjames.com

https://www.facebook.com/letty.james.39

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/35247952-letty-james

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