Amanda Usen | The Deep, Dark Making of MAKE ME, TAKE ME
I did things in my wilding days that make me wince and suck in a slow, tight
breath of sadder-but-wiser air. The most humiliating among them is this: I let a
man put me on my knees. I let him break me. And he did not deserve that piece of
my soul.
I was driving through a parking lot when I realized I wanted to put those dark
memories into MAKE ME, TAKE ME, and I had to pull over, close my eyes, and
go slack in my seat belt until I figured out how to do it. I wanted my heroine
to refuse to get anywhere near her knees. The phrase βNot gonna do itβ rings
through the book. Betsy doesnβt trust anyone, not friends and not family.
Growing up in a bar as the daughter of a starry-eyed romantic bartender mom who
believes Prince Charming might walk in the door any night made Betsy deeply
suspicious of happiness not directly under her control. In her observation,
every Prince Charming who walked into her momβs life also walked out, leaving
devastation in his wake. Betsy isnβt ever going to let that happen to her.
You and I both know what has to happen, right? Poor, poor Betsy! I didnβt know
much when I started writing, but I knew sheβd be on her knees before the end of
the book. As it turns out, sheβs on her knees wearing a pink ball gown in filthy
alley in the pouring rain at midnight. Why take her so low? So she could get up,
like I did, and change her life for the better.
I dove into a second deep, dark well of emotion while writing MAKE ME, TAKE
ME, and my big sister, to whom the book is dedicated, may well kill me when
she reads it. Last year during a family visit, we had a fight, ugly and honest,
the kind of fight where words are knives, and they havenβt invented sutures that
can close wounds that messy and deep. If you have a sibling, you know what I
mean. If you donβtβ¦you can have mine. Just kidding! Anyway, we took the gloves
off and went there, just like Betsy and Kate do in MAKE ME, TAKE
ME. Yes, itβs a Brazen romance. MAKE ME, TAKE
ME has more sex scenes than any book Iβve ever written. But itβs also a
sister book. Family is always at the heart of my stories. Family, and sex, and
foodβall the necessities. Throw in yoga, booze, and naps, and Iβm writing my
perfect life. Of course, I switched everything around to protect the guilty, but
I poured my heart into those sister scenes. Shared history is a powerful thing,
and I hope my sister can see that I turned our fight into a love story, too.
Because if she canβtβ¦sheβs going to kill me. Stay tunedβ¦
Thanks so much for visiting today! To celebrate the release of MAKE ME, TAKE
ME, Iβm offering print copies of the first two books in the Hot
Nights series, INTO THE FIRE and SEDUCING THE
PLAYBOY, to one lucky international winner. Letβs talk necessities. What
canβt you live without? Leave a comment below to be entered to win!
Currently, I can't live without 2 things. The first thing is my computer, because that's my lifeline. I have friends, some of whom live overseas, and it's my only way of communicating with them. I also do so many things on here, that it would take up a lot of space to list it all. I sort of told a fib. The second thing would be books, because my life is so hectic, that I need to have an escape from everything that I'm involved in. I manage the place where I live with my Husband, and volunteer one day a week to teach a knitting class. I'm also involved in other things, which doesn't leave much "me" time. The third thing (where the fib came in) would be my yarn, because I love to knit in order to unwind a little. That's one reason why I volunteered for the class, and another reason for the computer. That way I could seek out patterns and other information for class. I would love to read both of your books, because my Father passed away earlier this year, and after his will was presented, it created a lot of ill will in the family. When you wrote about taking off the gloves, I could relate completely, and would love to read your books!! I also think that I would be able to relate to the stories that you wrote, and somehow I need to get my hands on your books!! I'm sorry that my answer was a little long. Please have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!! (Peggy Roberson 11:13am December 17, 2014)
What I can not live without... my family, my pets, A/C in the summers, and books! :) Happy Holidays! (Colleen Conklin 1:03pm December 17, 2014)
There are a lot of things that would make life much more difficult and/or depressing if we didn't have them, but knowing a little about the resilience of the human spirit and the sheer stubbornness that keeps people going, I fall back on the bare necessities of life that are necessary for survival. Of course, just having them might make it possible to survive, but not necessarily to WANT to survive. (Cathy Burkhead 1:08pm December 17, 2014)
Can't wait to read this! (Michelle Brown 3:07pm December 17, 2014)
I can't live without my family, books, & chocolate. (Kv H 6:57pm December 17, 2014)
I'm sure there are tons of things I can't live without. But I'm going to say my tablet. (Kim Matlock 2:22am December 18, 2014)
I cannot live without Love, Family, & Books :) Cheers and Merry Christmas. Best of luck to everyone (Holly Loch 3:23am December 18, 2014)
Thank you so much for commenting! I can't believe I didn't put books on MY list! I have this recurring fantasy: me, a new book, a bowl of homemade Chex mix, and a Classic Coke. As soon as I finish galleys for my next book IMPULSE CONTROL (January 2015), I'm going to make that happen... (Amanda Usen 6:15pm December 18, 2014)
Pens and books. I work in retail and pens are completely necessary. Books are my sanity. (Karin Anderson 10:50am December 19, 2014)
My grand daughter and her smile! (Denise Austin 12:06pm December 19, 2014)
At the top of my list of what I hope to never be without is my family. Next would be books and my computer. Whenever something happens to my computer, I feel like I'm having withdrawals until it's repaired. (Anna Speed 1:21pm December 19, 2014)
Your book sound really good cant wait to read it!!! (Delia Chavez 3:25am January 3, 2015)
© 2003-2026