Romance on the Riviera with Lori Foster (Interview/Giveaway)

Crystal: Welcome back Lori, thank you so much for joining us in our celebration of Cinco de Mayo this weekend!

Thank you for having me!

Crystal: Have you ever visited Mexico yourself? If so, can you share with us a little about your trip? And if not, is that a place that you would like to visit in the future and what would you like to do while there?

Long ago, when two of my sons were still in diapers, we took a big family trip to Arizona, went over into Nogales, and then took a shuttle into Las Vegas. Nogales was beautiful!  We bought so many souvenirs – things that we kept for years upon years.  And we still go back to look at the photos.

I would love to return again someday, but that trip is a little far for my little doggie, who doesn’t like to be on the road much, and would really be freaked out by a plane ride. So for now, that vacation is on hold. J

Lexi: 2011 was a busy year for you, I counted six releases? Do you always have so many books come out in a single year?

Often, yes. New releases are the most work, of course, because I promote them more heavily. Reissues do take up a fair amount of time also, but I rarely do blogging and interviews for them.

Honestly, I wish I could write faster. I always have so many books in my head – but since writing the books isn’t the only thing involved, I’m not sure that’d help. LOL. It often seems I no sooner finish one book than I have line edits for another, or page proofs, or promo...

Sometimes, writing is the least busy/time consuming thing I do!

Lexi: Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor is a series about mercenaries. Dangerous work, especially when women they love get caught up in it. Do you ever get your adrenaline pumping when you are writing, or are you able to detach yourself from the story and just write?

Ha!  Good question. I often feel what they feel – which is maybe why it’s easier to write it. If they cry, I get teary eyed too. If they laugh, I’m often smiling. When they “get busy” I think... “Ahhh... so sweet that they’re in love like that,” or in the case of male point of view, I shake my head at how sexual men are, and how fun!

I really try to get the fight scenes right. Most who read me know that I’m a big MMA fan. (Mixed martial arts – especially within the UFC.) I hope I’m knowledgeable enough to help readers “see” the fights, not just read them. I certainly see them in my head!

Crystal: Your series, starting with When You Dare, begins in Mexico with the very real and heart-breaking problem of human trafficking. What inspired this beginning? Was it something you saw on the news or read in the paper?

I saw “TAKEN” with Liam Neeson, and from there, my Muse took over. But it is in the news a lot, so doing research wasn’t too difficult. Just this morning I saw Fox news discussing it within the issue of border security.  Every day, whether I’m looking for it or not, I see something about human trafficking.

But it isn’t just from Mexico. It’s right in our own backyards. It’s everywhere, in every level of society.  The series I’m working on next – LOVE UNDERCOVER – featuring Logan, Reese, Rowdy and Dash, sort of picks up in human trafficking but with a different slant. Drug mules. Many, many people are forced to carry drugs, especially women and especially in gang atmospheres. As with the EDGE OF HONOR series, the focus will be on the romance, but the background is another topic that interests me greatly.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene, couple or book in the series has touched you more than another?

I have a few favorite scenes.
When Trace takes a photo of Priss with his cell phone, while she’s enforcing her cover by trying on revealing clothes.
When Jackson rescues Priss – naked, from the shower. LOL. (Still cracks me up!)
When Priss kicks Trace in the nose, then tries to flee – only to run headlong into Dare. (who is an immovable brick of a guy.)
Every scene of Priss with Chris and Matt.

And after reading all that, you probably know that my favorite of the series was TRACE OF FEVER. Trace was so edgy, Priss so ballsy, and the scenes often so hilarious (at least to me) that I enjoyed writing it the most.
Funny thing though, as is usually the case, MY favorite is the least favorite for most readers. LOL

Lexi: Do you have plans for the Edge of Honor series, how many books or characters you want included in it?

I’m mostly done with it. I say mostly because Alice, a secondary character in TRACE OF FEVER, will appear as the heroine in the 2^nd book of my new LOVE UNDERCOVER series, titled BARE IT ALL.
And... I’m currently in talks with HQN to see if I can do a very short story for Chris. I hadn’t planned to, and I didn’t have a story for him, but every day at least 10 readers ask me for his book, and so, little by little, my Muse has kicked into gear. I don’t see it being a print book, definitely not a single title, but maybe a short online story to appease those wonderful readers who adore Chris as much as I do!

Lexi: Other than writing like a mad-woman you also make time to give back. One such project is your “Troop Project” that raises money to send things to members of our military. Did you start this before or after you began writing the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series? 

Oh, long, long before! That was begun something like 8 or more years ago. My online email list – The Bookjunkys – had been doing collections for a little while before 2007, when I put together a cookbook (recipes donated by local celebrities, authors and dear readers) with all proceeds to go toward buying and mailing items to our troops. http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php

Then Laurie Damron - http://lauries-laudanum.blogspot.com/ - a super-wonderful woman and very dear friend, took it over for me after our 1^st READER & AUTHOR GET TOGETHER.  http://www.lorifoster.com/community/readergettogether.php
Now, she collects for the Troops at the event, packages up the items, and gets them mailed off with $ donations from many people. It’s a wonderful thing – and Laurie is an amazing woman!

In addition to the cookbook, I’ve also organized a “benefit book” anthology each year. http://www.lorifoster.com/books/benefitbooks.php
All author and agent proceeds from sales of the books go to benefit wonderful causes. We’ve donated to the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, The Conductive Learning Center (school for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy), the One Way Farm (home for abused and abandoned children), and the AAF (Animal Adoption Foundation) a no-kill animal shelter.
The newest book is out in June, LOVE BITES, and as you can imagine by the title, it’ll again benefit the AAF.
Other authors involved are Brenda Jackson, Catherine Mann, Jules Bennett and Virna DePaul.

Lexi: Thanks for stopping by Lori and congratulations on the release of book four, A Perfect Storm! Yet another great cover for the series!

Thank you! I have LOVED the covers HQN gave me for this series.
Just so you know, I begged for hairy chests for a long time. LOL. Given the great feedback, I’d say readers have enjoyed those chests as much as I have!

Lori Foster also writing as L.L. Foster

http://www.lorifoster.com

OUT NOW!!!! - A PERFECT STORM

Arizona and Spencer's story

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~*GIVEAWAY*~
Lori is giving away a fabulous prize pack in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! For one US reader she has a T-shirt, signed book of choice (as long as she has on-hand) and some great swag! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling us about your own trip to Mexico or what you would see if you ever visited in the future, or just rave about Lori's books! Then fill out the Rafflecopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway