Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Excerpt, Author Interview & Giveaway - His Target, His Desire by Aspen J. Lee


His Target, His Desire

by Aspen J. Lee  

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BLURB: 

The rules of survival in this line of work: trust no one, hold no assumptions, don’t fall for your target. Bryant Holt breaks all three. 

For 1.5 million, Cypress Howard is now his target. Ex-black ops, Bryant finds he can’t resist her temptations. 

He’s way out of her league, sexy as hell and asking her out for dinner. It just doesn’t make sense. But Cypress is frightened of letting any one in. 

Why? Because Cypress now lives incognito. The real her is dead, or so everyone thinks. 

A deal is struck between secret factions and Cypress is now being hunted. Bryant’s claimed her, and he’ll do anything to save her. But first he must unravel the maze of her past. 

When her life begins to implode, Cypress’s lover turns into James Bond. Who the hell is he? It’s too late to question, Bryant’s already chained her heart. All she can do is hold on.
 

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EXCERPT: 

“Sorry.” She gave him a quick glance as her cheeks heated some more, determined to give him only a moment’s eye contact, enough to endorse her apology, before turning her attention back to the broad shoulders in front, but the arresting smile and deep brown eyes held her head in place.

“Pleasure’s mine.” 

O-k-a-y. A delicious yet confusing comment.  

“Bryant Holt.” A hand came toward her in the ritual of welcome. 

Long fingers laced around, encapsulating her hand, locking it to his warm palm. When she glanced up, the intensity of his gaze, lessoned only a little by his generous smile, swallowed her.  

“Cypress Howard.” The words came out quick. Great, now he would think her childish, gushing or simple. “I wasn’t looking.” 

His brow furrowed, then one eyebrow shot up quizzically—sexy, in a cute, alluring way. 

“Your screen, I mean. I wasn’t peeking at your typing, or rather what you were searching through.”  

He gave a small nod to show he understood her bumbling explanation. “Doesn’t matter. My cells littered with work stuff, boring as hell and riddled with jargon even I can’t understand.” 

“You work in this building? It’s just that I’ve been riding this lift for a year now and haven’t seen you before.” Left off the sentence end was an elaboration that went something like “yours is a face I wouldn’t forget,” but it was way too much of a pickup line. And what about everything else she’d said? Did it all sound cheesy?
 
 
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Talking with Aspen J. Lee!
 
What is your writing environment? 
Chaos. I will write anywhere I can, it doesn’t necessarily need to be quiet. Currently my favorite spot is at my kitchen table because we have floor to ceiling windows overlooking the bush. If I’m stuck for words, I allowed myself to get lost in the view for a while as I ponder my next sentence. In the evenings I write in bed, propped up against the headboard with a pillow. I’ve been caught in the back seat of my car, while waiting for my daughter to finish drama, with the keyboard nestled on my lap. I also do it in the back seat while waiting for my son to finish soccer training. I carry a notebook around with me everywhere I go, but I tend not to write in that, it’s more for catching ideas or snippets of story that filter through at odd moments.
 
Who is your perfect hero/heroine and why? 
Actually I don’t really have a perfect hero or heroine because I think each book requires different characters to do the story justice. I am weak for the strong hero type. An Alpha male in charge of the situation, it does tend to be a theme of mine, but I’d easily write him differently if the story required it. In fact, I have a story in the planning, whose hero is an ordinary guy. It’s leaning towards an erotic comedy, so I think this kind of hero would fit in better. I don’t like weak heroines, and I’m probably not alone in that. No woman wants to read about a woman’s self esteem being trodden on. On the other hand, if she’s too dominant or kick-ass then I start to question what’s the point of the hero in the story. I think what’s more important between the two is sexual or romantic chemistry. Like films, you have to get that right or the romance is lost. 

What authors have caught your interest lately and why?
 
I’ve discovered a few self-published authors lately, the first CJ Roberts with Captive in the Dark. A dark erotica, which at times is risqué, but so well written, it captured my attention. Another is Riley Murphy with Requested surrender, a cheeky piece of work, which was such a joy to read. Also Selene Zanetti, published under Siren with her first novella Poetic Rhythm. I liked it because it was intelligent erotica lightened with some humor. 

What type of book have you always wanted to write?
 
I write what I love. Hot romance. But I must confess, I’m a sucker for a dystopian, romance or not. I’ve now got a dystopian erotica in mind, which I will start after I’m finished with the edits and release of my latest Agent Provocator due for release 25th of June.  

Top 3 things on your bucket list?
 
I’m probably like a lot of others with travel sitting at the top of my bucket list. I’m a great traveler, something I did a lot of before children, but my husband and I have managed to sneak in a few trips with the children over the years. Traveling with three, however, gets expensive. Our family are cycling enthusiasts (though I’m the armchair enthusiast). One thing we dream about is heading over to France for the Tour de France, hiring a RV and following along behind in luxury. It will happen one day. My eldest son is a cyclist, so soon maybe we will be following him on the road in France.
We have a marine park in Western Australia called Ningaloo Reef. Every year whale sharks migrate into the calm, warm waters to feed, and tourist are able to book snorkeling tours with the whale sharks. I think it would be a magical moment to swim along side one of these majestic giants.
I hope to become an international bestselling author, what author doesn’t. Oh and since we’re aiming for the stars, how about a movie deal as well.  

How did you get the idea for this particular novel?
 
His Target His Desire came as one scene, as most of my novels do. I’ve always enjoyed books about deception so it was only natural I would write a book about it. My hero Holt was easy, dark, sexy, capable and strong. My heroine, Cypress, took a little longer for me to work out as her character had to be a little more complex. I have a background knowledge in Molecular Biology, something from my former life (before authorship), which gave me the little almost scifi twist toward the ending. 

What is your favorite scene in your new release?
 
I loved all my scenes. But really the sex scenes were a hoot to write. Lets face it most of us are stuck doing playing in bed for pretty much most of the time, so I like to make my characters engage in exciting and erotic ways in many different places. I particularly enjoyed revealing my mystery as to why Cypress was being hunted. It’s the crux of the book of course and I tried to give it as good a twist as I could.

What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?
 
Agent Provocator is my next erotica due for release 25th June 2015. It’s the story of a woman who is contracted by a secret organization to seduce a criminal. She has two men chasing her heart, the criminal and the one who contracted her, but which one will win? You’ll have to get the book to find out. 

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
 
This sounds cheesy, but I love spending time with my family. My kids are great. We have a great time together. We do a lot of things together, cycling, camping, eating out, going to the movies. I also love walking. We live in the hills on the outskirts of Perth, surrounded by the forest. I’m hiking with my dog everyday.
 

What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?
I get up early so in winter I’m dressing in the dark—I don’t want to wake my husband so I don’t turn on the lights. That means some things go on inside out, no biggy because I spot it once the sun comes up. Funny thing is, I almost always put my knickers on inside out. I mean I have a 50% chance of getting it right, but I do it wrong 90% of the time.
 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

After joining her local writers’ centre and attending a workshop on romance writing, Aspen J Lee decided she was set on the wrong career path. Swapping sides from factualising to fictionalizing life, she quit her job and started a Masters in Writing.  

Soon after she discovered passion rather than academics was the key ingredient, so picked up the pen and began to fashion her own stories. Another workshop introduced her into the world of spicy writing. The end result was Slipping Through His Fingers, published by Siren-Bookstrand (2014). Two novels followed His Target His Desire (Siren-Bookstrand, 2015) and Bound (Eternal Press, 2015). 

Aspen is currently crafting her fourth erotic romance and dipping her quill into a dystopian, both of which she hopes to have published later this year. 

When Aspen can extract herself from her characters, she can be found in her kitchen, crafting magic of a different nature, with dogs and cats in tow. She lives on 6.5 acres, which she shares with the wildlife, a husband and three children.
 

You can follow Aspen on her website http://www.aspenjlee.com and her blog http://aspenjleeauthor.com

 










 

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GIVEAWAY:

Aspen will be awarding $30 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  Follow the tour HERE
 

19 comments:

  1. Characters often find themselves in situations they aren't sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?

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    1. Hi Mai, gee I've really got to think about that one. To be honest I can't think of anything too bad that I have been lost in recently. Two years ago I was picked to give a speech to a hall full of people. I hate public speaking and have rarely done it so the thought made me sick, but everyone else shrunk from the task. I wrote my speech and practiced and practiced because it was the only way I felt remotely confident. On the night I refused to be drawn into an feelings of fear and just got on stage and did it. I hated walking up there and seeing hundreds of faces, then afterward swore I'd never do it again. Last year I did it again for the same event, because again no one would come forward, and I thought 'what the hell I didn't die the first time'. Aspen x

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  2. awesome interview - thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi Victoria, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I loved sharing it. Aspen x

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    1. Hi Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like doing interviews and sharing my writing experience with interested readers. Aspen x

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  4. I have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Hi Patrick, thank you for your response. Glad you liked it. Aspen x

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  5. Loved the interview especially putting your clothes on inside out! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Hi Betty, when I was at university, I had a lecturer who used to turn up for lectures with her clothes inside out—at least I have never gone that far—she even turned up to one lecture with a clothes peg on her shoulder.

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  6. Great interview, I really enjoyed the excerpt, entering under the name of Virginia.

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    1. Hi there, thank you for your response. I'm glad you enjoyed the excerpt. It's always hard to decide what you want to put up as a teaser. Aspen x

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  7. Great interview, I really enjoyed the excerpt, entering under the name of Virginia.

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  8. Hi Sue, sorry this a late thank you, but I have been without internet for the last 14 hours. Now it's morning over here in Australia I'm at my local library logging into their service. So thank you for hosting me today. I appreciate the chance to share my latest with your readers. Aspen x

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  9. Do you think you might ever write a steampunk novel?

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  10. I really enjoyed the excerpt! This sounds like a terrific book! Thank you for sharing!

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  11. I really enjoyed reading the excerpt and the interview. Looking forward to reading the book!

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