Seducing Cinderella by Gina L. Maxwell (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Today I am excited to welcome author, Gina L. Maxwell who is joining us with her debut, Seducing Cinderella, and a fab post about MMA fighter (a favorite sport of mine btw), Reid Andrews! Make sure to check out my 4-Wine Glass review of Seducing Cinderella by clicking >HERE<

MMA Fighters & their multi-dimensions

(Also, the Evolution of Reid via Parker Hurley)

The world of romance is full of cowboys, CEOs, firemen, soldiers, and athletes, just to name a few. But what you won’t find a lot of, are cage fighters.

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t any. Though I didn’t know it when I came up with the idea, there are at least three other authors* who have published, or are in the process of publishing, series with MMA heroes. It’s nice to know I’m not alone in thinking these modern-day warriors are mega swoon-worthy!

For those of you who have been following me already, you no doubt know where my original inspiration came from since I make it a point to spread the smexy around as much as possible. For those of you who don’t know, my favorite male model is Parker Hurley, and one day I stumbled upon THIS PICTURE. (Go ahead and click on it. I’ll wait until you’re done drooling.) Immediately I thought, “I want to write a story about that guy.”

Technically, I could’ve made Reid a few different things. He’s not wearing the fingerless gloves of an MMA fighter; he’s wearing black training wraps. So maybe he’s a boxer. Or a kickboxer. He’s also wearing dog tags, so maybe he’s in the Army and just taking a break from his morning workout to stare at us and look pretty. Or I could have been even more literal and simply made him a model for a fitness magazine.

But none of those options ever crossed my mind. Reid was an MMA fighter from the moment of inception. End of story. Why? Probably because I love the sport and think a guy who can kick someone’s you-know-what in one or all of several different disciplines is just plain hot. If that makes me shallow then I’m happy to stay out of the deep end.

Beyond that I had no plans. I didn’t set out to model Reid’s personality after Parker, merely his looks. I actually intended Reid to be growly and all “I don’t need your help or anyone else’s, but I have no choice.” But every time the guy opened his mouth he was flashing that killer smile and saying things to make Lucie either laugh or melt in her panties. To my dismay, he was utterly charming.

I fought with him for a while and tried to rewrite him as I wanted, but he was persistent to the point of insanity (mine, not his), so I threw my hands up and let him have his way. But as far as I knew, he was still only a fighter, so I still had a modicum of control.

Then the first lesson came around in Lucie's bedroom, and the things he said and did literally shocked me out of my socks. I was like, "An artist? Really?! Well, hell. I didn't see that one coming,” and then agonized that my surly fighter claimed to be exactly the opposite.

And that’s when it hit me.

Why was that so far out of the realm of possibilities? None of us are only one thing in our lives. We have many roles, multiple interests. And because I watch a lot of documentaries on the UFC fighters, I know for a fact that fighting isn’t their entire life. Matt Hughes, one of the greatest welterweights of all time was (and still is, since his retirement from the UFC) also a farmer in rural Illinois. It wasn’t just another job to him. It was a passion.

The same thing goes for Parker Hurley. I first “knew” him as a model—just another hot guy for us romance writers to objectify over Twitter and our Tumblr pages—but later found out that the guy is one of the craziest-talented artists I’ve ever seen. I’m not kidding. He doesn’t show his work often on his Tumblr page, but when he does, it blows my mind. Turns out he’s not just another pretty face after all. (He’s also funny and kind and charming…so yeah, Reid ended up being pretty identical to Parker with the exception of their careers and tattoo designs.)

That’s when I decided that I wanted my hero to have substance and multiple dimensions. To show people that fighters shouldn’t only be defined by the fact that they pound on other guys for a living. That we shouldn’t judge their book by their cover. Sure, it's what the public sees, but it's not all that they are. Just like I’m not just a writer.

I hope the world of romance readers is as excited about discovering my multi-faceted MMA heroes as I am about writing them. Since I’m a pantser-by-nature I’m not totally sure what they’ll turn out to be (it’s obvious they have minds of their own), but I can guarantee they’ll be great, and more than you expect.

What do you think? Do prefer a hero who stays who you expect him to? Or do you like being surprised that there’s more than meets the eye?

Thank you so much for having me today! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to talking with your readers!

Title: Seducing Cinderella

Author: Gina L. Maxwell

Genre: Category – Contemporary

Length: 277 pages

ISBN: 978-1-62266-949-3

Release Date: July 2012

Imprint: Brazen

Purchasefrom Amazon & Barnes & Noble

He’ll teach her the art of seduction…for a price.Mixed martial arts fighter Reid Andrews’s chance to reclaim his title as light heavyweight champ is shattered when he’s injured only months before the rematch. To make sure he’s healed in time, his trainer sends him to recuperate under a professional’s care—Reid’s best friend’s little sister, all grown up.Disorganized and bookish Lucie Miller needs some professional help of her own. She’d do anything to catch the eye of a doctor she’s crushed on for years, so when Reid offers seduction lessons in exchange for 24/7 conditioning for the biggest fight of his career, Lucie jumps at the chance.Soon Reid finds himself in the fight of his life…winning Lucie’s heart before she gives it to someone else.

About the author:

Growing up in small town Fort Atkinson, WI, Gina L. Maxwell, formerly Bisbee, could often be found onstage in the latest theatrical production, performing with her high school show choir, or holding office in her local FFA chapter. She dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps in the entertainment business, of enabling her audience to forget about life for a few hours as they enjoyed the stories she told through her love of singing, dancing, and acting. It wasn’t until her sophomore year in college when she realized she had no acting talent to speak of and her dream needed some adjusting. Another ten years would pass before she discovered a different means to accomplishing the same dream.

Within those ten years Gina married her high school sweetheart, had two beautiful children, and moved more times than she cared to count. In 2009 she started writing as a hobby while her kids were in school, and it quickly became an obsession she couldn’t stop, and then a dream to publish stories of love and passion for romance addicts just like her.

Three years later, her dream came true when she signed with Entangled Publishing for a total of seven books in two of their imprints.

Her Fighting for Love series with MMA heroes debuted July 20^th, 2012 for the digital Brazen imprint with the first book, Seducing Cinderella, and reached #9 on Barnes & Noble’s best seller list in just seven days.

The first book in her paranormal romance trilogy, Desires of the Soul, is set to release both digitally and in mass trade paperback in Summer 2013 for the Entangled Select imprint.

When she’s not writing or wrangling plot bunnies, Gina keeps busy with her wonderful family and their ever-growing extra-curricular schedules. Thanks to their immense patience and support, she’s able to do The Thing She Was Meant To Do and live her dream of bringing a little romantic fantasy to the world, even if only in the pages of a good book.

AuthorWebsite - Twitter - Goodreads

~*Giveaway*~

Entangled is giving away one eBook of Seducing Cinderella to one reader! To enter, just leave a comment on this post answering Gina's question and fill out the rafflecopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway