Tell
us about your current release.
I
write erotic romances inspired by the classics, so it was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter” that inspired Passion’s Poison. Hawthorne’s
Beatrice Rappaccini takes care of her father’s scientific experiments — poisonous
flowers. She has become poisonous herself, though the reader is never sure if
her father created her that way or if it was from the flowers. My Beatrice is
also poisonous, only she must expel her poisons through sex in order to
survive. The problem is that when she does, it makes her partners very ill and
she actually sent her first boyfriend into a coma! So she is careful to keep
her relationships to one-night stands. That is until she meets Zach.
Zach
Woodman is a chainsaw artist with a beautiful log home in the next town over.
Bea falls for him, but she doesn’t want to kill him. Zach is excited by Bea,
but doesn’t want it to last too long because his past fiancées have all died in
accidents. He’s accepted his bachelorhood as a mandate of fate. Still, when he
meets Bea, he wants more than his usual three nights. What he doesn’t realize
is that sex with her could kill him.
Tell
us about your next release.
My
next release will come out in 2014. I chose Washington Irving’s “The Legend of
Sleepy Hollow” for my inspiration. In my
story, the heroine is the original Katrina Van Tassel, but the hero is a
descendent of the original Headless Horseman. It takes place in Sleepy Hollow,
New York during the Washington Irving festival. Irving’s story is so detailed
that I have been able to use the same scenery, character names, horses, and even
the types of trees directly from his story, but mine story has a twist. I can’t
say much more, but I will say even the original Headless Horseman shows up,
well, sort of ;-)
Has someone helped or mentored you in your writing career?
I
have had a great author, Jennifer
Ashley/Allyson James, as my role model. She has been very kind over the
years to advise me on the industry when I had questions and has always
encouraged me. This is inspiring for me as I have never had someone as a role
model before, and I still have “fan girl” moments when I am around her. She is
such a nice person and so successful that I can’t help it.
When was your first sale?
When was your first sale?
I
signed my first contract on Halloween in 2012. The offer had come earlier, but
the contract had to be worked out. I am thrilled with my editor at Ellora’s
Cave and had a great time hanging out with her at RWA’s National Conference
this year. Pitched her a couple series ideas and she challenged me to write a
short novella, so more will hopefully be coming from me next year J
When in the day/night do you write? How long per day?
I
write after the sun goes down. That’s when I am most creative. The daytime is
for analytical work, like revisions, edits, polishing, marketing, etc. I don’t
have a set amount of time. When I am writing a rough draft as I am now, I write
for a couple hours at a time.
What does your family think of your writing career?
What does your family think of your writing career?
They
are all thrilled. In fact, it has become a family effort. After my first book, Masque, came out in March,
I did a blog tour and wanted to giveaway something special. My sister found
these amazing Venetian masks made in Italy, and since my characters in that
book wore masks to each Pleasure Room, they were perfect. Mom wanted to help,
so she bought the masks and my sister sent them out to winners. Then when I
started writing Sleepy Hollow, I found I needed some Dutch words and phrases.
Lucky me, my dad’s family is Dutch. My aunt contacted her cousin and her son
and they are sending me Dutch phrases I can use. And yes, my aunt has already
read Masque
and loved it.
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Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
I
do. I don’t know what I would do without them! My chapter by chapter critique
partner is Marie Patrick. We write
completely different types of romance and have completely different processes,
but somehow that works out perfectly. I have another critique partner, Lyndee Henderson who is awesome
with the synopsis critiques. My beta reader is actually my sister. She is an
avid romance reader and is brutally honest and always right on the money. One
time, she pointed out so many holes in a manuscript I had half-finished that I
decided to drop it because it needed too much work. I may go back to it
someday, when I feel ready to fix it.
Do you use a pen name? If so, how did you come up with it?
Do you use a pen name? If so, how did you come up with it?
I
do use a pen name. Lexi was the easy part as that was what my family called me
growing up. The last name was harder. I didn’t want to use the family name as I
wasn’t sure how everyone would feel about the erotic piece of what I write. The
same went for my mother’s family. So I decided to use my biological father’s
last name. I’ve never met him, but my mom assured me it was a red, hot lover
affair that produced me (her words, not
mine), so I thought it fitting.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
Well,
I live on an island. Relaxing is easy, but that implies stress and there isn’t
a lot here. The pace of life is slow. My biggest stressor is meeting a writing
deadline. I have gentle waves as background noise all day and all night. I have
Caribbean breezes that rustle the palm tree leaves. I have soft white sand and
warm turquoise blue water. I also have a bit of reluctance every time I have to
leave the island J
Tell us about your favorite fan letter you have received.
I’m
a fairly new author so I haven’t received many, but there are a couple. One
person said she had read my first book, Masque, four times! Another person
said that she had a book hangover and she pitied the book that came next in her
To Be Read pile. Those kind of comments make me want to write more and better.
I feel a responsibility to keep my readers happy. Besides, writing makes me
happy.
Blurb:
Passion’s
Poison
Beatrice
Rappaccini is tired of the one-night stands that keep her alive. Tired of the
illness she causes when she releases her sexual poisons into her partners. But
when she meets Zach Woodman, everything changes. Desperate for what she can’t
have, she puts her heart and life on the line, ignoring the anonymous letters
warning her to stay away from Zach.
Zach
Woodman, logger turned chainsaw artist, has the perfect life, but no one to
share it with after the deaths of the women he loved. Fascinated by the
sexually experienced yet naïve Bea, he promises himself he will end their hot
relationship before fate takes another beautiful woman from the world.
But he
discovers Bea has no idea how to have a relationship, and he is perplexed by
her strange behavior, hippie mother, six fathers and her request to give him
every man’s sex fantasy. It is only when he might lose her that he realizes he
must make a decision that will break his heart either way.
Excerpt:
She devoured him with her gaze. His chest appeared a golden
brown in the fire’s light and his pectorals looked harder than granite,
dwarfing his dark, erect nipples. She licked her lips. “Are you cold?”
His seductive grin sent chills racing through her body,
readying it for what was to come.
“No, I’m burning up. Want to feel?”
“Yes.” She stood and ran her fingers through the short black
hairs covering his contoured torso. They were so soft against the hardness of
his muscles that she wanted to stroke his body for hours. She traced her
fingers around his nipples, causing the tips to harden more. Her own nipples
ached in response as she dropped her hands.
He took a deep breath, causing his chest to grow larger
before her eyes until he released it. Following the dark line of hair with her
gaze, she itched to slip her fingers into his blue jeans and cradle the hard
cock that moved as she stared. Would it be long or thick or ruddy or crooked or—
“Your turn.”
“What?” Startled from her focused concentration, she glanced
up to see him raise his eyebrow.
“Fair’s fair. I want to see you without your shirt.”
Moisture seeped along her folds at his words. She wanted him
as much as he wanted her, but in a much different way than her normal sex
partners. Her attraction to him had nothing to do with her toxic body. Plus,
she liked him. What could she do? She could refuse. He would respect her
decision, but she wanted this. How could she keep him from coming inside her,
from taking her poisons into his body? She didn’t want to hurt him.
“Bea?”
She licked her lips and started to unbutton her sweater. Her
mind raced as she let the garment drop on the couch. Hungry for him like no
other man she’d been with, she searched for a solution. She pulled the dainty
camisole over her head and stood in her lacy pink bra.
He lost his grin as his gaze feasted on her cleavage.
She had to think, but his look, combined with the moisture
between her legs, made it difficult for her mind to cooperate.
He gazed into her eyes. “Take off your bra.”
Her heart beat so fast she had a difficult time breathing. Placing
her hand between her breasts to calm herself, she unhooked the front clasp of
her Fredrick’s bra. His gaze riveted to where her hands separated the two cups,
and she shrugged herself out of them.
“You’re beautiful, like the snowfall. Delicate, soft and
perfectly formed.”
Her heart melted at his words, but she remained still,
wanting his hands upon her, and yet afraid of the fire he started within her.
He stepped closer and massaged her breasts as if he knew
they had been uncomfortable in their confines. When he touched her areolas,
stroking until the skin puckered into ridges, he caused her nipples to harden
to painful tips. She ached inside her core for this man’s cock. She wanted him
to the hilt, filling her.
He groaned. “I could eat you right here.”
Passion’s Poison is available in electronic formats:
For
more information about Lexi Post:
website: http://www.lexipostbooks.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/LexiPost
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lexipostbooks
