Writing Romance: Lori Foster (Interview & Giveaway)

Today I am super excited to have New York Time's best selling author, Lori Foster joining us for an interview! *squee*

Lori just released a new series called Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor and if you haven't read them yet then you must go out and get them today! Seriously. Each book is superb and the third title in the series, Savor the Danger is in stores today! You can catch my reviews on each book here: When you Dare, Trace of Fever, Savor the Danger. Don't forget to visit Secrets of a Book Lover to say hi to author Michele Hauf!

Welcome Lori! Thanks so much for stopping by during our Writing Romance week and for your newest release, Savor the Danger! Why did you choose to write romance, and what are your favorite aspects about it?

I’m the eternal optimist, and romance guarantees a happy ending. I couldn’t write without knowing that, come what may, it will all end well. The aspect I like most about romance is that it’s character driven. The characters themselves are the ones that come through hardship, triumph over adversity, and eventually get to a better place. The individuality of romance is also of great appeal. Sure, some storylines are reader favorites. But with so many different personalities, and no relationships alike, each book feels fresh and new.

For readers who aren’t familiar with the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series, how would you describe it to them?

The Alpha heroes take center stage and lead the charge in the books, but I hope that I’ve balanced them with strong heroines. The heroes do what we often wish we could do:  they obliterate evil and injustice. But readers tell me that they’re also very sensitive, especially with the women they love.

The series focuses around human trafficking, and all the ways it can affect innocents. 

And of course, the books are sexy. ;-)

Can you tell us a little bit about your newest release and third novel in the series, Savor the Danger?

The 3^rd book features Jackson Savor. He’s a hunky, highly capable, humorous guy who is more irreverent than the heroes of the first 2 books. As the newest recruit to the elite team, he’s still a little agog over what they do and how they do it. He’s also madly in love with Alani, younger sister to Trace, the hero of the 2^nd book. That in itself poses some possible problems, since Trace is very protective of her, and because Alani was once the victim of human traffickers.

I love the play on words for your titles in this series, not to mention the sexy covers. Are they the original working titles or were they changed later into what we have today? How much say did you have in the title & covers of these novels?

I suck at titles. Not my forte. But I told my editor that I’d like to continue with having each hero’s name somehow incorporated into the title, and she helped a lot. I have so many books, it makes it a little easier for readers to identify which book goes with which hero. I’ve been doing that for awhile now, across 3 or more publishers.

So basically, I tell my editor, “Here’s the hero’s name. Got any ideas?” J She’s pretty terrific at helping me figure out a title.

When I finally gained some name recognition, one of the first things I negotiated in my contracts was cover approval. So I get to see early concepts of the covers, and eventually the models that are chosen and I can nix an idea if I think it’s awful. Overall, though, the publisher really knows what it’s doing. They have an entire team of experts who conceive art concepts. The last cover I asked to have changed was two publishers ago, on an anthology. Since then, I’ve been pretty darned pleased with what’s been given to me.

Can you tell us about the hero of Savor the Danger, Jackson Savor? What do you think will draw readers to him?

Everyone loves a guy who makes you laugh, right?  And confidence? Jackson has it in spades. Dedication? He’s so dedicated to Alani, it’ll break your heart. He’s not always smooth, but he makes up for it with honesty. And ho boy, is he sexy. J

Now tell us about the heroine, Alani Rivers. What do you think readers will love about her? What makes her and Jackson so perfect for each other?

Alani is a survivor. She’s a little emotionally wounded after being taken by human traffickers. She’s also a realist, and she knows that what happened to her is nowhere near as bad as it can get. Being in the shadow of a larger-than-life brother and dear family friend (Trace and Dare from the 1^st two books) is humbling; she doesn’t have their ability or their courage. But she’s strong enough to move on, smart enough to reason through problems, and honest enough to accept her own shortcomings, and her feelings for Jackson.

What do you feel are five must have ingredients for a great romance?

It changes with the times, because society changes. Currently, I’d say a fast pace, sharp characterization, snappy and believable dialogue, sensuality, and an element that readers can relate to – either in the background, in the characterization, the internal or external plot.

Was there a character or novel in this series that was harder to write than others? Has the series gone the way you originally planned it?

I don’t really plan ahead, so that question doesn’t apply to me. When I started Dare’s book, I knew Trace would have a story too. But I didn’t know what his story would be. And I had no concept for Jackson until he showed up on the page. Each story is a challenge in its own way, but I wouldn’t say any of them were difficult – at least, not more so than every other book.

You have one more novel planned for this series, A Perfect Storm, set to be released in May of 2012, can you share just a teeny bit of what we can expect from Spencer’s story? I have to say, by the end of Savor the Danger I was hooked on him and I’m dying to know what happens next! 

I don’t want to say too much about that heroine, because that could be a spoiler for Jackson’s book. Also, I’m still writing that book (should be done very soon, though!) and I don’t like to talk about them too much while writing them. It dilutes my drive to get it written if I tell about it.

I’ll just say that Spencer is amazing. I love him. He’s so over-the-top caring, so insightful, and so confounded by the heroine in his book. Fun stuff.

If Jackson opened up his own Twitter account, what would be his first tweet?

I can’t imagine Jackson ever tweeting. All of the guys in this series are far, far too private for social forums.

What was the first romance novel that you read? Do you still have it?

I don’t have it and I don’t remember the title! It was a historical, and I’d flipped through it until a page grabbed me. What I remember most was a woman abandoned on the side of a road, having a miscarriage. I don’t recall if she’d been running away and got lost, or if someone had dumped her. Along comes a Duke or some such who nursed her back to health. It was so intense, and so intimate, that I couldn’t stop reader. Of course they fell in love and he avenged her and they lived happily ever after. :::sigh::: That book hooked me and I’ve never looked back!

After that I sought out a ton of romance books and finally found some of my favorites, including Julie Garwood, Catherine Coulter, Linda Howard, Johanna Lindsey, Jayne Ann Krentz, Brenda Joyce, etc... Too many to name them all!

Thank you again for joining us today Lori, do you have any other words to share with our readers before you go? 

Thank YOU. I always enjoy reaching out to readers. For anyone who hasn’t heard yet, I have app! If you have an iPhone, you can find the app by searching FREE apps in the iTunes library. A version for Android is coming very soon.

I hope everyone has an excellent and relaxing summer.

And for your viewing pleasure, the oh-so-yummy trailer for this series...try not to drool too much, don't want to short circuit your keyboard!

You can find out more about Lori and her books at http://lorifoster.com/home/

including fun (and Sexy!) pictures and excerpts from this series. 

~*GIVEAWAY*~
Thanks to the wonderful Lisa at Harlequin I have one copy of Savor the Danger to giveaway! 
To enter, just fill out the form below AND leave a meaningful comment or question for Lori.
Giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada and will end at 11:59pm on July 8th, one winner will then be selected at random and contacted via email.