Monday, July 29, 2013

Do YOU like a bad-girl heroine? Tell Adriana Kraft why...or why not!

Do readers like a bad-girl heroine?


    That question has niggled at us ever since we met Kitty Paige, heroine of our just-released erotic romance novel, The Best Man. Naturally as authors, hubs and I like to think we have some measure of control over who our characters are and what they do, but Kitty stormed into our lives, full steam ahead, and insisted that we just deal with her. She opens the novel in the middle of one of her “baddest” cougar moments – prone on her back in a hotel suite with a seriously inappropriate partner, the night before her daughter’s wedding. What can we say!

     She made us nervous, but we decided to be as bold as she is and just let her have her way with us J. We wondered how readers would react – whether they could identify with her and maybe tolerate her badness enough to want to know the rest of her story, or whether they’d get too turned off by her outrageous behavior.

     So we posed the question to our readers: do you like a bad girl heroine? We got some great responses!

   For example, from Mer: I like bad girl heroines because confidence is so sexy. That’s part of what captivated us about Kitty, too. From Corinne: I love bad girl heroines because it’s so much fun to watch them go toe to toe with the leading man. I also love to see them tamed just a bit. Hmm… toe to toe, as well as other body parts. Kitty might object to the term “tamed” – if he’s going to have her, he’ll have to take all of her, as she is. We won’t give away quite how that’s going to work out, though!

     Here’s more: From Cassie: I love a bad girl and ones who are totally bitches, lol. Kitty would love this comment – she’s cultivated her bitchy side and carefully groomed it, both for business and for pleasure. She’d be first to claim the label, when it suits her. From Renee: I love the bad girl heroines because they can kick some major butt, but still be vulnerable to their special lover, whoever that may be. It’s no surprise that’s exactly what Kitty struggles with – she’s afraid to be vulnerable, always trying to keep the upper hand. From Jeannie: I love them… Just like Bad boy heroes, they are strong, independent and it takes a strong partner to settle them and show them what love is. Agreed, totally – that comment sent hubs and me into a discussion about who is stronger, Kitty or Jared. Turns out it’s Jared, hands down – strong enough to be vulnerable first, and then to hang in there when Kitty freaks.

     So we’re hoping you and all our readers will love Kitty as much as we do. We think, when all is said and done, she earns her happy ending!

     Here’s a snippet to give readers a sense for Kitty’s M.O.:

Blurb:  


 EXCERPT:


    Frowning at the unfamiliar number on her caller I.D., Kitty nodded at the contractor she’d hired to do the rehab on a nineteen-twenties four-square she planned on reselling within the next six months. She’d been making the rounds of the four construction projects she had underway. It was her experience that if she didn’t keep routine tabs on them, the projects slowed. Contractors often responded to the squeaky wheel.
    She smiled as she carefully made her way across the sub-flooring, making sure her high heels resonated through the empty house. She knew that sound translated into power with most construction workers. As usual, she’d chosen her wardrobe with her day in mind. This was not a day for refined, potentially high-paying buyers. This was a day for making sure the men she hired didn’t forget they were working for her. In addition to her blue high heels, she’d chosen a beaded pair of blue denim hip huggers and a simple canary yellow cardigan that failed to reach her jeans.
    She avoided eye contact with the workers as she made her way to her car. She saw no need to embarrass them as they fantasized about her ass. One of her goals was to be the squeakiest wheel contractors ever heard. So far, she seemed to be meeting her goal. 
    She chuckled, leaned up against the car and glanced back toward the four-square. Men working on its siding quickly found something to do. Damn, she loved being a woman.
     She punched a button on her cell, retrieving and returning the most recent call. Brushing her hair aside, Kitty brought the phone to her ear.

     She startled when she heard the deep drawl.


TOUR CONTESTS

Adriana is offering two contests in connection with her Tour:


BUY ONE – GET TWO: Purchase a copy of The Best Man any time before August 1 and email us a copy of your receipt to receive a free download of any novel on our backlist. Send email to adrianakraft99 at yahoo dot com.


SILK SCARF CONTEST: Did you notice the yellow scarf that’s just dropped to the floor between Jared and Kitty on their cover? A peace offering Jared sent Kitty early in the book, it’s made of Thai silk, and it has some very special scenes of its own in the book. I’ve traveled in Thailand and fell in love with the luster and sensuality of Thai Dupioni silk. I wish I’d brought back yellow, but I’ve had to settle for purchasing this batch here in the US. I’ll be doing the finish work on the fabric to give the scarf a fringe – and you have a chance to win it (U.S. delivery only)! Leave a comment here to enter. Leave more comments on any of our Tour Stops to increase your chances, or visit our blog and leave a comment on any post about The Best man for even more entries. No purchase necessary. Contest runs through July 31.



AUTHOR BIO:

     Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a husband/wife team writing Erotic Romance for Two, Three or More. The award-winning pair has published over thirty erotic romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews: “scorching hot…refreshing...something to read when you want straight up hotness” “filled with warmth, blazing hot sex, well-developed characters…not for the faint of heart.”  Romantic pairings include straight m/f, lesbian, bisexual, ménage and polyamory, in both contemporary and paranormal settings.

~ Readers can find us at the following links ~



Blog 






~ Adriana’s Author Pages ~



~ Buy Links ~


 

Thank you for stopping in! 
 

Saturday, July 27, 2013

New lower price on e-books! Stop in!

New Lower Price
on ALL my books!

     If you've stopped in because you've not read my books yet, I've lowered the price of each book by $1.00! That's a steal considering each novel is over 100,000 words. These are not short stories but full length novels and many out there are listed at $8 and up. Since I self-publish, I'm in control of my pricing and want every reader to know that love can happen a second time, which is the theme in each book I write. 
      I'm hoping the price reduction will allow more readers to step into my worlds and enjoy my characters. Each book I write, I envision pulling my readers in so they can be a silent character to stand next to each one of my characters. I'd love to hear from you if that happened while you were reading one of my novels. I appreciate your support!




Also at:



 



     On another note, I'm considering a change to the book content for Whispers. The book contains no sex scenes and the romance stops at the bedroom door. Perhaps I could keep the book for sale with TWO editions - one with no sexual content and the other an ADULT version to at least get it as hot as Never Surrender! LOL Feel free to leave a comment if you think I need to have an adult version of the book to take readers behind the bedroom door! Let's get some chatter going on this!

Yes or no??