Louisa Masters with Inter-Office Relations

Ah, the dreaded interview. Some authors cringe while others seem to embrace it like breathing. I’m happy to say that today’s guest falls into the latter category. When Louisa Masters and I first starting conniving, I mean collaborating, I mentioned interview and she jumped at the chance. Naive or glutton for punishment?  I dunno, but I think she’s a natural. (wink) Here’s what Louisa had to say in our recent “chat” about writing and her new novella, Inter-Office Relations.

All right, Louisa, when did you start writing?

Hee—there’s an interesting question! I started telling stories as soon as I could talk. It took a while for me to understand the difference between truth and storytelling! When I learned to write, my parents encouraged me to write my stories down. Things snowballed from there.

How long did it take you to finish your current book?

With my day job interfering, about a month. Of course, it helps that it’s a novella! That’s not including the extensive editing that comes after, of course. I hate that part, but I wouldn’t have a readable story without it.

Yep. Edits. :P Who’s your favorite character in this book and why?

I have a soft spot for Tim. When I wrote Inter-Office Relations, I had a tiny crush on a guy I was working with at the time, and Tim is (loosely) based on him. The crush passed, but the fond feelings remained. And no, I never did any of the things in the story with that guy!

Uh-huh. LOL The road to publication is long and tedious for most, what would you do differently if you could start over?

I’d start networking a lot earlier. Not only are the connections great for promo, but the support and creative mojo you get from other like-minded authors and readers is essential. I couldn’t do without some of the people I’ve met over the past twelve months. Big shout out to the ladies at RWA Online!

What’s your favorite kind of hero and why?

Strong, with a vulnerable edge. I don’t want a superhero, I want a regular man with weaknesses as well as strengths. He will, of course, be amazingly sexy in his own special way—the sexiest man I met was ugly as sin, but smelled incredible.

Heroine?

She’s not allowed to be perfect! The perfect heroine—beautiful, intelligent, kind, talented at everything she tries, and universally adored—makes my teeth hurt! I want to read—and write—about people that I could conceivably meet one day, and be friends with. So a heroine with some faults, but still eminently likeable, is what I like best. I think Jeannie from Inter-Office Relations fits this mold. She’s a nice person, good at her job, and hopelessly in lust with her friend and colleague. She’s too insecure to ask him out, but when the chance comes to proposition him without losing face…

Mmmm, sounds intriguing. What’s your favorite type of romance?

If you mean genre, then this is impossible to answer! In general, it has to have a happy ending. Romeo and Juliet is not a romance, it’s a tragedy!

Amen!!

Otherwise, I’ll read any kind of romance, provided there’s a real give-and-take relationship between the hero and heroine. And I hope that’s what I write!

If you could talk to any author alive or dead who would it be?

Nora Roberts is my idol, mostly because of her discipline. I’m a champion procrastinator, and I truly admire people with the kind of discipline that allows them to turn out that many books per year. Plus, I love her writing.

Well, I think I’ve  made everyone wait long enough. Please, Louisa, tell us about your book! :)

Have you ever had a crush on a colleague and wished you could pull them into the photocopy room and have your wicked way with them? That’s how Jeannie feels about Tim…

With her resignation submitted, Jeannie Price has one last task she’s itching to perform before leaving her job. After months of sitting next to hot, sexy colleague Tim Harding, it’s time to turn fantasy into reality with a scorching invitation to collaborate on matters of the flesh in Conference Room B. Then she can walk away without regrets.

Tim’s dreams of wild, sweaty sex with Jeannie come true when he accepts her offer, but he’s stunned to learn she doesn’t want to see him again after their steamy tryst. She may be trying to brush him off as just one more item on her To-Do List, but he’s determined to convince her there’s nothing taboo about inter-office relations.

Hot-cha-cha! And here’s an excerpt!:

“Do you want to have sex in Conference Room B?”

Tim Harding jerked his head up from the cost analysis on his computer screen. Jeannie Price was leaning on the partition between their desks, her dark eyes fixed on his face. He took a moment to admire them as he pondered her words.

“Is this a hypothetical question?” he asked finally. “Because—”

“It’s not a hypothetical question. It’s an invitation.”

Her words slammed straight to his cock. Was she joking? Had she guessed that she was the star of his late-night fantasies? He’d even pictured taking her in the office—okay, he’d imagined the boardroom, but he was flexible.

He swallowed, hard, his cock twitching. She’d been very flexible when he imagined her on his balcony. And in his shower. And…

“I’ll tell you what,” she said. “I’m going to be working in Conference Room B for the next half hour. You think about it, and if you decide to join me…” She shrugged, and her long brown hair slid forward, drawing his eyes to her breasts. In his dreams, her hair flowed over her naked breasts, her nipples peeking through the locks, and when he drew her down over him, it would swing forward, surrounding them like a silken tent…

She straightened, gathered up her laptop and notepad, and handed him an inter-office envelope.

“This may help you make up your mind.”

He watched her walk away, the sway of her hips and the way her dress slid across her ass making him shift uncomfortably. After a whole year of working with her, he was used to being in a constant state of arousal, but that didn’t make it any easier.

She disappeared into the conference room, and he sat back in his chair. Was she serious? Or was he going to walk in there and find half the office waiting, ready to point and laugh? He shuddered at the thought. No, Jeannie wasn’t like that. That was actually part of the problem. If she wasn’t so nice, and friendly, and incredibly fun to be with, he probably could have overcome the sexual thing by now.

Yeah. Right.

He looked at the envelope in his hand. Help him make up his mind?

He ripped it open.

The first thing to fall out was a strip of condoms. A whole strip? He could work with that.

The second was a piece of fabric. Frowning, he picked it up, then dropped it when he realized what it was.

Panties.

He stood up so fast his chair slammed into the partition behind him.

He didn’t care.

Condoms in one hand, panties in the other, he was already halfway to Conference Room B.

Wow! And if you think that was hot, check out the cover! Holy-schmoly!!

Inter-Office Relations is now available from The Wild Rose Press. You can buy it here.

I’ll be giving one lucky commenter a copy of Brodie’s Bride by Amie. (Whoop!)You have until midnight Wednesday before I make my choice! And don’t forget to check out my other blog visits this month at www.louisamasters.com

Big thanks to Amie for having me today!

Louisa

xxx

And a big thanks right back to Louisa for coming to visit and another thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Lots of <3–Amie

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