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 ~
~ Adriana’s
Author Pages ~
~ Buy Links ~
Thank you for stopping in!