Guest: Doris O'Connor,

Writing by the seat of your pants

When I first started writing with a view to publication I had no idea what being a panster meant. I plotted and researched and plotted some more. Then got myself all in a tizzy when the finished chapter didn't look anything like I envisaged. With the tizzy came writer's block and I felt like a complete failure because I just couldn’t get those words on paper.

I heard of other writers mapping out story boards and plot lines and my head swam. Every time I tried that, I hit a proverbial brick wall. Then came my first attempt at NaNoWriMo. For those of you not familiar with the concept you attempt to write a 50 K novel in thirty days.

It proved a bit of an epiphany for me. There was no time to fret, and whilst others found it hard, my fingers flew across the keyboard. And every time I get myself back into the Nano spirit, my fingers fly again.

In fact Lure Of Forever was in part created during Nano 2011. I didn't complete it, because November saw the release of Lure Of The Blood and with all the excitement and edits on other books out, Nano and the story fell by the way side.

I have already shared about my niggling hero Lucas on this blog tour, so you will understand when I say he didn't take kindly to that. In fact he went into a downright sulk, when I wrote a Naughty Fairy tale instead of completing his story. He didn't grumble too much, however. I guess even ancient vampires do not want to antagonize three bear shifters…

Once that story was done and dusted and with just 20 K left to complete Lure Of Forever I re-read the manuscript and tried to get back into it. That first attempt I wrote 300 words over three hours. Grim, I tell you, truly grim!

That torturous session clearly sparked something though. I went to bed and dreamt the entire rest of the story. I do that a lot by the way—have my characters tell me their stories in dreams. Then it was just a matter of verbalizing all that input. Hah!

Lucas had a few more surprises in store for me. He absconded for a while and I was beginning to think I would never get him and Coralie to their HEA.

Don’t worry I did, and I had a little sniff at the end. Now I can't share the end with you, that would spoil the whole book, but I will leave you with a little hot excerpt:

Why was she still standing here, gawping at him as though he was the Holy Grail to womankind? He certainly didn't need the boost to his ego––that was for sure. How she'd managed to bring her knee up like that, she'd never know. Her body had simply melted against him when he caged her in against the wall, and even though she knew those blasted teeth were fake they still sent shivers down her body that settled between her thighs. It was every wicked fantasy come to life. God, she was no better than him, getting lost in the illusion. Vampires were damn hot in the fantasy realm, but that's where they belonged. She was not going to be turned into a loony who acted these fantasies out, no matter how delicious the man was.

Holding the phone to his ear, he looked like an intently listening statue. Coralie didn't know it was possible to remain that perfectly still. She couldn't even see him breathe. Then again, a man who sported fake teeth and held strange gatherings on his boat would no doubt perfect the art of pretense to such a degree, that he could pass for whatever he wanted to be. It would also explain his pale complexion and the fact that his body felt cool, too. Or maybe that was just her body temperature. She wrapped her arms around her waist in an effort to warm up. The damp clothes felt ice-cold on her skin and she couldn't stop the shivers.

The gust of air raised her sodden hair off her forehead, before a warm soft towel was draped round her shoulders.

"Forgive me. You must be frozen."

She leant back into the hard wall of muscle behind her with an involuntary sigh. His amused chuckle vibrated through her and she stiffened for an instant. What was so damn funny? And how did he get there so quickly, anyway? She was definitely coming down with something. She was seeing things. He stood a few paces away, talking on the phone only seconds ago, hadn't he?

A second warm towel draped over her head brought another sigh from her lips. However he’d done it, it felt so good. Lucas moved her until she was seated on one of the plush chairs scattered around the room. He proceeded to take each strand of her hair and pat it dry, his long fingers kneading her scalp in a sensual massage. She closed her eyes on another sigh and simply gave herself up to the feeling of being pampered. Another gust of cold air brought with it the smell of chocolate and Coralie opened her eyes to find the dratted man standing in front of her with a steaming mug of the elixir.

"Here, that should warm you up a bit."

She wrapped her frozen hands around the mug, grateful to be sitting. Now that he'd dropped the vampire act, he was even more gorgeous. That smile alone ought to be patented. Had she still been standing, her knees would have wobbled. This was ridiculous. She didn't react to men like this ever. They only ever wanted you for one thing, and as much as her stomach tightened in anticipation of the feel of those full lips on her skin, she couldn't allow herself to act on her desires. It was far safer to keep men at arm's length, especially ones with a dangerously seductive voice and the ability to make chocolate concoctions to die for.

"I...I'm really..."

She had to clear her throat to stop it from sounding so breathy. Sheesh, he's gonna think you're ready to jump him. Her hands shook at the image of doing just that, and she yelped when the shaking spilled the hot brew over her fingers. Before she could react, he was there licking the chocolate off her fingers, and she stopped breathing. Time stood still as she sat watching him lick those digits, and when he cupped her chin to make her look at him, the heat in his gaze lit up every inch of her frozen skin, until she felt on fire from the inside out.

He smiled at her and his thumb swiped across her bottom lip. He raised it to his mouth and sucked the drop of chocolate off with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Hmm. I could get addicted to hot chocolate."

Blurb:

You'd think a three thousand year old vampire would believe in forever. Not Lucas. He has an escaped demon to hunt and no time for the follies of humankind. When strip-o-gram Coralie arrives on his boat, she awakens human instincts long buried, and protecting her becomes of paramount importance.

Coralie, standing in for a friend, is mortally embarrassed at having stumbled onto the wrong boat. The vampire wannabe she encounters makes her body sing in ways she never thought possible. Finding out that he is indeed the real thing throws everything she ever believed in into doubt.

With the demon closing in and the future of humanity in peril will they manage to find their forever?

Where to find Lure Of Forever:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Evernight Publishing

About the author:
Glutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris... at least that's what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to baby and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic goddess she is not.

There is always something better to do after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her sexy Alpha heroes and sassy heroines tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps. She writes contemporary, erotic and paranormal romance.

German born, Doris now resides in the middle of a busy town in Bedfordshire/England and dreams of a nice big house by the sea, with plenty of space to run kids and dogs and let her imagination soar.

Find Doris on the web here:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook

Contest:

If you'd like to be in with a chance to win a copy of Lure Of Forever, just leave a comment. I will be picking three winners at the end of my blog tour. Every time you comment on one of my stops, you will get another entry into the draw

Details of the tour stops.