Skylar's Naughty Nine (just nine?)

I've had a great time getting to know the dirty little secrets of my fellow bloggers, and I'm thrilled it's my turn. I'll try to behave myself, but no promises here.

I'm a California girl at heart -- love the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles -- and I finally got to make it my home a handful of years ago. I'm with PG on this. I know you're jealous. Except for the smog. And the traffic. And the cost of living. And the fires. And the earthquakes. And the heat in summer. And the lack of seasons... shall I continue, because I know you're still jealous.

I'm one of our newbie writers, with my first release out from Samhain just over a month ago. Maison Domine came out as an e-book in September, but will be released in the print anthology Binding Ties this July (happy dance!).

With that intro out of the way, here goes nothing. Drum roll please for Skylar's naughty nine...

1. If you had to choose only one form of chocolate for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Gawd, isn't that a tough question. I'm a sugar fan. And a salty fan, along with some of the other NNNs. Basically, I like to eat good food. So if I had to choose one form of chocolate, it would be a dark chocolate Godiva truffle. Those things are so rich, a single one can satisfy my sugar cravings for days. Really -- days. And I'm such a sucker for their packaging, and the cute little designs they've started putting on their chocolates. And their advertisements... sexy.

2. What author got you started reading or writing romance?

I might be dating myself here as the baby of the group, but the first romance I ever bought was Jennifer Crusie's Faking It. I ran into the drugstore with my mother to buy pencils for the SAT (the morning of, of course) and talked her into buying me this book so I could read if I finished early. Of course, they only let you sit there in silence until the time is up, but I'd conveniently forgotten that in the event of getting a new book. That was my downfall into reading "smut," as my father affectionately calls it.

Unlike most writers, who were inspired by one of the greats, the story that started my writing career was the exact opposite. I won't name names, but I read an anthology that was 2 for 3 in the novella category. The last one in the collections was awful. I finally got sick of reading it, threw the book across the room, and yelled, "god, is that all they want these days? Hell, I could write that!"

And the light bulb went off. Of course, it is much harder to write well, but I still needed that burst of, shall we say, inspiration to realize I really wanted to write romance.

3. What's the naughtiest thing you've ever done?

Just one? Aww... but it is the internet, and I'm never quite sure when my parental figures will decide they've had enough mystery and Google my pen name, so I'll keep it PG (the rating, not the Forte, lol). I think it has to be engaging in certain southern activities while my significant other was on the phone with his parents. It was priceless to witness him trying to sound normal when he really... wasn't. Is that oblique enough? Oh well, I guess by now my parents know I'm a hopeless deviant, so this shouldn't surprise them should they stumble across it (Hey Mom and Dad!)

4. What do you like best about the heroine in your latest book?

Oh, this is easy. She's curvy. And brilliant. And curvy. And sexy. And did I mention she's curvy?

I love bigger heroines. Reading about the wonderful men who fall in love with them helps to counter the media images of skinny being the only type of acceptable beauty.

But the best thing about Lara Brunner, my heroine? She doesn't whine about her weight. She is what she is, and she's accepted that. She doesn't need Jaxon (the hero) to tell her she's beautiful, although its always nice to hear.

5. What is a must have in your writing routine?

I'm doing the National Novel Writing Month, and I felt the need for a routine makeover. I took the advice of my fellow NNNs and started lighting candles -- each WIP has its own scent now. I also redid my workspace to inspire romance writing. I collect old romance novel covers, you know, the bodice rippers? I love the cheesy captions and the man mullets. So I have framed these and hung them over my computer to help set the mood. In addition, I HAVE to have music. When I'm writing, I can't think about what to say, or I over analyze it and never get any writing done. The background noise cancels out the internal editor who would rewrite the same line of dialogue ad nauseam. I have my "best of" playlist, songs I've heard so many times the lyrics are no longer distracting, and I play it whenever I write at home, no matter what I'm writing.

6. What was the most interesting thing you learned in researching your most recent release?

Because my novella Maison Domine is set at a luxe BDSM club, I had to do some research into that lifestyle. While I learned many, many things (some more useful than others), the most interesting was that I LOVE the smell of leather. Its just so sexy! Now all I need is a new leather jacket for the SO, who already smells yummy, and I'd play cat, rolling in the scent.

Ok, maybe not, but I'd think about it. Seriously.

7. You're marooned on a tropical island, what sexy celebrity and comfort reads would you want with you?

First of all, this tropical island better come with a five-star hotel. I'm a girly girl... not the outdoorsy type at all. I hate spiders and snakes and things that go bump in the woods. Not to mention that peeing while squatting thing. And no toilet paper.

But I guess having, say, Clive Owen there could make it a little better. Especially were he shirtless half the time, and wearing a new leather jacket the rest (yes, I like the scent that much). As for books, I have a really short genre attention span, so I'm going with P.G. on this. I think a solar-powered, fully-loaded Kindle would suffice. If that's not available, I think the complete works of William Shakespeare would last me awhile. I'm a whore for literary analysis, and he's the best for it.

8. Do you listen to music when you write? If so what's your favorite, or does it change from book to book?

Just as I have a short genre attention span for reading, I'm a little ADD with my music. I need a very eclectic mix -- no full CDs from a single artist for me! I've managed to compile a few playlists that satisfy this need, and I listen to them all the time. They're based on mood, so if I'm writing a heart-wrenching scene, I'd listen to my "Emo" mix. The rest of the time, it's my "Best of the Bes, Sir!" mix.

You get big points if you can ID that line.

9. What's your favorite writing procrastination trick?

Give me a minute to look at some funny cat pictures, and I'll tell you. I Can Haz Cheeseburger is the biggest time suck ever.

I'm a master procrastinator, a la "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Like last night... I wanted to shower before writing. But before I could shower, I had to clean the tile. And before I could clean the tile, I had to scrub the tub. And before I could do that... you see what I mean.

Sexcerpt Time! Oops, did I spell that wrong?

Here's a teaser for you... enjoy!

***

Jax was glad Maison Domine had an opening for the weekend. He desperately needed to get away from life for a bit. He loved teaching, seeing his students grow to love a work of literature, or a movie, or seeing the flash of insight cross their faces. But, at the same time, he was overwhelmed by his obligations. His agent was making noises about him writing another book or working on another script. Greedy bastard.

When Kat mentioned there was a shy new submissive coming this weekend, and asked if he would show her the ropes, pun intended, Jax jumped at the chance. He loved introducing newbies to the BDSM world. It suited his purposes, as he had no interest in a full-time submissive. He still got to play, but there were no messy emotional entanglements to deal with. After the Jenny fiasco, that was the last thing he wanted.

Evidently this new woman had been referred by one of the regulars, and from what the regular had told Kat, she was total submissive material, but had trouble giving up control. Jax had been so eager to meet this new sub, he had barely thrown his weekend bag into his room before coming down to the meet and greet.

He stepped into the cozy game room, eyes searching for Kat. Finding her in a stunning red dress, as usual, he took two steps towards her before being distracted by coughing. Whoever it was sounded like she was ill or choking. Jaxon spun to see who was making the racket, and his eyes settled upon a lush figure with her back to him. She wore a bright red top, but it was the creamy expanse of skin exposed between her short black skirt and knee-high boots that tempted him most. Hoping to dash to her rescue, Jax reached the woman right after Katrina. She had stopped coughing, and he could hear a melodic voice arguing with Kat.

“I think I should go to my room, Kat. I’m obviously too tired to chew, much less meet a room full of people.” Jax could tell the woman was embarrassed by the attention.

“No, no, don’t be silly. Inhaled a piece of flaky dough, did you? I do it all the time.” Katrina looked over the woman’s shoulder at him. “Jax, would you grab a glass of water from the end of the table? Bring it over for Lara, and let me properly introduce you two.”

Jax saw the woman, Lara, tense when Kat called out to him. He guessed she didn’t want another person witnessing her supposedly embarrassing moment.

“Excuse me,” he started. “Would you like a glass of…” He couldn’t remember how to finish the sentence.

The woman was Lara Brunner, the uptight chemist he had to share a classroom with. But she wasn’t in a stuffy suit, and her hair wasn’t scraped back from her face. Instead, it fell in soft waves around her face, and her clothes. Wow.

“Dr. Brunner. How nice to see you again.” Jax knew his tone was less than enthusiastic, but he couldn’t bear to reveal how torn he was upon seeing her here, not to mention how very surprised he was to find she was into the scene.

“Jaxon, I mean, Professor Greene. I didn’t expect to see you here. Not that it’s not pleasant to see you, but it is surprising. Shit. First I choke, and then I stick my foot in my mouth. I’ll shut up now.” She flushed again prettily. How he wanted to put color there, to make her breath catch like it had when she was stumbling out her greeting. Except he wanted to do it while making her submit to him, and only him. It was something Jaxon hadn’t felt in years.

***

Read another excerpt here.

Hope you enjoyed, and have a naughty day!

~Skylar Kade~

because life is too short to behave

www.skylarkade.com