MEET RAINA JAMES
Today I'd like to introduce Raina James, a friend, and successful romance author. Raina currently has several bestselling books at Siren Publishing. Check out her website, and novels, you won't be disappointed.
Hi Raina, can you tell us a little about your newest Tasty Treat book at Siren?
Well, that would be the futuristic ménage romance Marshals' Most Wanted. No, there isn't a problem with the placement of the apostrophe. :lol Marshals, as in two of them, and the woman they most want, Hope Kennedy.
Stev and Tarik are Galactic Marshals' hot on the trail of a notorious gang that specializes in Oceans 11-like heists involving casinos and big-ticket games of chance. In this case, their next target is a high-stakes poker game on a backwater planet, Jokers' Wild. Stev and Tarik go undercover to bring in the Rogan Gang, never knowing that they're about to meet Hope, a luscious rancher who reluctantly agrees to save her family's spread by turning it into a dude ranch and tourist destination. As soon as they meet, Stev and Tarik's Geminus biology goes to work, sending Hope into a hormone-induced mating heat.
Luckily, the guys are loveable as well as sexy as hell, so being the center of two men's devoted attention isn't too much of a hardship for the headstrong Hope.
What inspired you to write romance?
I love romance. My non-fiction career is in journalism, at a major daily newspaper. As you can imagine, that is a very serious business. Writing is serious, too, don't get me wrong, but I love being able to craft the happy endings that sometimes can be very hard to achieve in the everyday world. And romance ... well, I'm a romantic. What could be unappealing about writing about attractive men and women, romantic situations, sizzling love scenes, action, adventure and the bonding of soul mates – however many that happens to be in the particular plot.
Do you have a set writing schedule?
Not really. My life is extremely busy, and writing is not a hobby. The best way I've found to get my writing done is to do it wherever, whenever I can, be it jotting down something in waiting rooms or sitting at the kitchen table. The bulk of my writing is accomplished late at night, after everyone has gone to bed. That way, I can focus on my plot and characters without being interrupted every five minutes by someone wanting something. I would love one day to be able to devote whatever time I need to my writing. Right now, it's catch-as-catch-can. Not ideal, but doable.
You're going to be attending the RT Booklovers' Convention in Columbus, Ohio this year, and that will give your readers a chance to meet you. If a reader wants to stop by and say hi, where can they find you?
Definitely I'm attending. It is so fun, meeting readers and other authors in a congenial environment where we're all interested in the same thing – words. I've decided not to do the book fair this year – believe it or not, I'm really very shy. I'm totally fine chatting with someone in line or over breakfast or wherever, but put me in a structured environment like the book fair? Nope – but I will be at the Siren-Bookstrand table. I'll be more than happy to sign book covers for people (I'll be bringing a bunch along). Also, if you notice my nametag and want to say hi, please do! I'm totally fine with that.
Do you have any works in progress you'd like to tell us about?
I have a number of works in progress at the moment. Usually, I'm not so fractured, but it's just worked out that way. I'm writing a historical ménage Western – my first historical! – and I've also got plans to write a contemporary ménage fantasy called Three Wishes, about a secretary who has a secret crush on her boss and is finally able to make it happen when she finds a magical amulet on her desk. Another story I've got percolating through my mind is I, Dragon, a contemporary fantasy about a dragoness who goes on a quest to track down the human father of a child she has adopted. I'm really looking forward to that one. It just won't leave me alone!
