Monday, August 4, 2014

Author Spotlight + Giveaway--Mardi Maxwell

Welcome to Author Spotlights on Mondays! This week, Mardi Maxwell is back for another visit, sharing a peek at Book 4 in The Doms of Club Mystique series, Zane's Choice. Check out the excerpt, read about Mardi's writing process, and comment for a chance to win a copy of her August 5th release!

Blurb:
Beautiful, curvy, Ravyn Templeton saw Zane Ramsey in a BDSM club in Houston three years ago. He’s haunted her dreams ever since.
Zane is an Assistant District Attorney and co-owner of Club Mystique, the BDSM club he and his brothers built on their Texas ranch. When Ravyn’s ex-husband is arrested for trying to have her killed the case is assigned to Zane.
The moment Zane meets Ravyn he wants her and even though he knows having an affair with her will jeopardize his career he can’t resist her. When Ravyn’s ex-husband accuses her of laundering money for a drug cartel, and she refuses to answer Zane’s questions he leaves her.
Fate steps in and brings them together again. Zane has the power to save Ravyn but only if he loves her enough to fight for her.

Excerpt:
Zane cursed, then stalked toward her. He clenched his fist in the hair at her nape then curved her into him until their noses were almost touching.

Ravyn looked into his angry eyes and shivered. “Let go, Zane.”

“You need to leave, Ravyn. Now.”

“No. I’m hiding from the press and everyone else who wants to put me behind bars—people like you.”

“Dammit, Ravyn. I told you I would protect you.”

“No you didn’t. You said you would get me the best deal you could if I would turn state’s evidence.” She tried to move away from him and he tightened his hand and pulled her head farther back while curving her pelvis against his. His erection pressed into her belly and she breathed a swift sigh of relief at the proof that he still wanted her.

“I told you from the beginning if you were guilty I wouldn’t lie for you,” Zane said, the words gritted out between clenched teeth.

“Then you shouldn’t have fucked me.” Ravyn reached up and tried to pry his fingers from her hair. “Let go, Zane.”

“This time you’ve gone too far. Be still or I’ll beat your ass.”

“You can’t. You’re the one who set the limits of our relationship.” She gave up trying to pry his hand loose. “You said fucking only. Nothing else.”

“Tell me the truth then—tell me what you know.”

“Nothing. I don’t know anything.”

“You lie to me and then you question why I won’t—” He pulled her head back until the tendons in her neck stood out. “Just don’t lie to me again. It really pisses me off.”

Ravyn used her peripheral vision to look to her right. Everyone’s attention was focused on them. “Zane, let go. Everyone’s watching.”

“Don’t mind us,” Cade said. “You’d be surprised how often something like this happens around here lately.”

Zane shot a dirty look toward the room’s occupants then focused on her again. “Everyone out.”

A moment later Cade picked Addison up then settled in the chair behind his desk and smiled. Addison grinned at Zane then snuggled into Cade, letting him know they were staying.

“We may have some information you might be interested in knowing, little brother,” Cade said as he smoothed his hand down the long length of Addison’s braid.

Ravyn glanced at the wall behind Cade’s desk and saw a large portrait of him and Addison. In it Addison was over Cade’s shoulder. One of her hands grasped the waistband of his leather pants as she looked down at the camera with a huge smile on her beautiful face. Cade’s large hand nearly covered her entire bottom as he held her in place and looked over his shoulder at someone below them. The dark look of passion on their faces was mesmerizing.

That was the way she wanted to be loved. Passionately, as if her death would totally destroy the man who loved her. The sound of Thor’s voice drew her attention away from the portrait and back to the present. He pointed at a chair.

“Better get comfortable, Ravyn. This is going to take a while,” Thor said.

A soft growl of anger emanated from Zane as he released her hair. She smiled and heard him growl again. Knowing he was pissed off made her feel better about their situation.

Ravyn slid into the chair Thor had vacated then crossed her long, slender legs. The skirt of her wrap dress slid apart and she saw Zane’s eyes trace up her legs to her crotch before he shrugged out of his suit jacket then loosened his tie and jerked it away. He dropped his clothing on her lap then settled onto the arm of her chair and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his white dress shirt. She saw him give her crotch one last glance so she wiggled and felt the dress move farther apart. He glanced at her before he turned back to Thor and Cade.

“Okay, let’s hear it,” Zane said.

Ravyn rolled his tie into a tight coil then folded his jacket. She tucked the tie into a pocket then smoothed her hand over the expensive fabric.

Zane’s hand fell onto her shoulder and squeezed. “Are you with us here, princess, or are you off in your rich little world where everything is sunshine and roses?”

Buy Link: www.bookstrand.com/mardi-maxwell

Interview:
Me: What inspired you to write your first book?
Mardi: A photo I saw in a magazine. The model was really yummy. I’ve always had an active imagination so of course I started daydreaming about him and before I knew it I’d created the five Ramsey brothers and Rendezvous TX.

Me: Do you see writing as a career?
Mardi: Yes. I’ve actually retired from a career and now I’m writing full time. I love it and wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Me: This book is the fourth in a series. Do you prefer to write single title or series? Why?
Mardi: So far this is my first series. I started out to write a series of books about five brothers who were Doms and owned a BDSM club. I ended up writing four erotic suspense books. I guess that’s what the Ramsey’s wanted as that’s the direction they took me in and there was no saying no to them. lol

Me: Give us some insight into your main character. What makes him/her special?
Mardi: Zane Ramsey has watched his brothers handle their women, or rather be handled by their women, and he’s sworn to himself that his woman will behave. All that changes when he meets Ravyn Templeton and realizes that he’s going to have his hands full with her. He finds her irresistible even though he knows he should keep his distance. The fact that he’s the Assistant District Attorney in charge of the case against Ravyn’s ex-husband complicates things especially when her ex starts accusing her of the crimes he’s committed and she refuses to answer Zane’s questions.

Me: How did you come up with the title?
Mardi: Zane Ramsey has to choose between the career he loves and believes in and the woman he loves and has the power to save. So, Zane’s Choice.

Me: What’s your favorite sub-genre (contemporary, sci-fi, etc.) to write? To read?
Mardi: I love writing contemporary erotic romance. My next series is contemporary erotic romance, The Doms of the Larkin Agency, starting with Thor Larkin. I have three books planned for that series and then I’m branching off into a new and exciting series with Clint McCabe and his brothers. It will be something different but still erotic romance. As far as reading goes, I love to read erotic romance but I also love zombie and end of world novels.

Me: I usually get plot ideas in the shower and while driving. When/where does inspiration strike you?
Mardi: Anywhere. I can be driving or sitting in a restaurant or reading a book. The muse strikes at any time.

Author Bio:
I was born in Utah but I’ve traveled throughout America and lived in sunny California, hot and dry west Texas, and the mountains of Colorado. I wrote my first erotic romance in the summer of 2013. It was accepted and published that same year. Since then I’ve written three more books in The Doms of Club Mystique series. At this time I’m busy writing the fifth and final book in the series. My heroes are tough cowboys with military backgrounds and my heroines are strong, sassy and submissive. I like my readers to laugh, and cry, so I put a lot of emotion in my books as well as suspense and happy endings.
Other than writing, I love to read, travel, garden, swim with my family, and go to the local drive-in movie with a carload of friends and a huge container of home-made cheese popcorn.

Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.mardimaxwell.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MardiMaxwellRomance
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MardiMaxwellRom
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mardi-Maxwell/e/B00HUWU9FM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7790271.Mardi_Maxwell

Remember to comment by midnight EDT on Wednesday, August 6, for a chance to win a copy of Zane's Choice!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!

6 comments:

  1. Great interview Mardi, now know a little of what to look forward to. Good luck with the launch. <3

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  2. Thank you, Nessie. And, thank you Mellanie for hosting Zane's Choice today.

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  4. Can't wait for this book to come out I love this series and I can't wait for Thor's story to come out too.

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    1. Thank you Veronica. I hope you enjoy Zane's Choice. I had fun writing it. Ravyn is feisty and gave him a run for his money, or love. lol

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