I became hooked on Stephen King when I was thirteen. I have no idea how I came
to pick up his book, PET
SEMETARY at that age (I remember the book itself was beat up and dog-eared
and very worse for wear), but I do remember reading the first page and knowing
straight away my reading world had changed. Up until that point, I was pretty
much only reading Sweet Valley High books (which all seemed very exotic
and strange to a young girl whose entire life had been spent growing up in rural
Australia. Man, are our schooling systems and environments different!). So PET SEMETARY entered my life
and everything changed. The Sweet Valley High books disappeared off my
reading pile, replaced with any and every Stephen King book I could get my hands
on. (I grew up on the poor side of town, so getting my hands on books meant
school libraries and the only second-hand book shop in town). By the time I was
fifteen I had read every Stephen King book he’d written. I was a fan. No other
author was going to replace him. Ever.
And then my
sister-in-law gave me a Silhouette Special Edition and my reading world
changed again.
I wish I could remember the title of that book. I remember the cover (lilac
purple framing, a tiny silhouette of a man and woman gazing longingly into each
other’s eyes at the top, and a colourful, hand-painted image of a couple, almost
but not quite kissing, she with Farrah Fawcett-styled hair, he all square-jawed
and dark and handsome), and I think it was set on a mysterious island somewhere
near Mexico. I think… There was something about corn being found on the island…
And there was also kissing. A lot of kissing. And…other things. I
remember being shocked, and awed, and then excited as I read those…other
things. I remember sitting and devouring the words—words that had the
characters doing things I’d never encountered in a Stephen King book—and
freaking out because my mother would kill me if she knew what I was reading. My
Silhouette Special Edition addiction grew to include Silhouette
Desires as well, and whoa baby, were the words and carry-on in those
books a life changer. From the age of fifteen to now, I have continued to
devoured romance books. But—after a year-long diet of only romance books
as a teenager—I also returned to the works of Stephen King. At any given time, I
would be reading a Stephen King book and a romance book. It made for an
interesting combination, and I loved it.
So it doesn’t surprise me that my mind, without any hesitation combined the two
when the character of Thomas St. Clair popped into my head while writing THE STUBBORN BILLIONAIRE
(Muse, Book
One). Thomas St. Clair is inspired by Stephen King (in that he is a very
successful horror writer) and shaped by all those tall, dark and handsome
Silhouette Special Edition heroes I read through the 80s. He is sexy, sensual,
and at times sarcastic. He is what I imagined—way back when I was sixteen—what a
horror writer should be.
When it came time to write Thomas’s own HEA (THE MISTAKEN BILLIONAIRE,
Muse, Book Two)
I knew immediately who I need to dedicate the book to: Stephen King. For while
he will likely never ever know who I am, or that I have indeed dedicated a
romance book to him, he has had such an impact on my life as a reader and
a writer I can never thank him enough.
Muse
#2
Thomas St Clair is used to getting exactly what he wants, when he wants it.
So when a mysterious woman shows up at his door with his runaway dog and her
presence drives away his writer’s block, he’s willing to put up with her secrets
if it means she’ll stay around.
Mila Elderkin once had a promising career in journalism, until her dreams
were shattered by a rising star in the literary world. When fate lands her at
that same man’s door years later, and he doesn’t recognize her, it seems she’s
been offered a chance for a little fun. Mila’s not out for revenge, especially
not once she starts to see the man beneath the persona. But the past has funny
way of creeping into the present, and secrets don’t lie quiet forever.
Romance Contemporary
[Entangled Indulgence, On Sale: June 5, 2017,
e-Book, ISBN: 9781633759596 / eISBN: 9781633759596]
Lexxie Couper started writing when she was six and hasn't stopped since.
She's not a deviant, but she does have a deviant’s imagination and a desire to
entertain readers with her words. Add the two together and you get erotic
romances that can make you laugh, cry, shake with fear or tremble with desire.
Sometimes all at once.
When she’s not submerged in the worlds she creates,
Lexxie’s life revolves around her family, a husband who thinks she’s insane, a
indoor cat who likes to stalk shadows, and her daughters, who both utterly
captured her heart and changed her life forever.
Contact Lexxie or her
follow her on Twitter or visit her at website where she occasionally makes a
fool of herself on her blog.
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