Welcome T.D.!
First of all, let me send out a big thank
you to the very talented Rosanna Leo for hosting me today on her blog! I admit to lusting after quite a few of her
covers and so hope to capture a Selkie of my own someday. In the meantime, I will just have to keep on
writing about the heroes that steal my own heart. Let me just sit down and get comfortable for
a minute because this is something I have a lot to say about. *Pulls up chair*.
So what sort of hero calls to me? You
wanted to ask me that, right? *Starts talking anyway*
I love heroes that are both vulnerable and
strong. They have to be self deprecating
but still confident in their primary abilities.
Of course, being incredibly sexy and great in bed doesn’t hurt either! *
Wipes a bit of perspiration from brow *. A hero needs to be protective of his
woman while also letting her live her own life and excel in her own endeavors
without jealousy and manipulation. He must be faithful, persistent and
determined to see the positive in life despite what darkness has
transpired.
My newest hero, Thomas Morgan, has a past
that haunts him but he has found ways to cope with his mistakes. At least until love finds him and he has to
change.
How long does it take to write a
full-length novel? How do I stop talking long enough to ever get any writing
done?
I can’t speak for any other writers, but it
takes me quite a long time! Just ask my
husband and kids who complain about the amount of time I spend handcuffed to my
computer. I start out with a character
in mind and then imagine what sort of trouble they might attract. Once I get a basic idea of where I think the
story is going the real work begins. I
probably write in batches of about 2,000 words every few days, which usually
works out to equal a fully fleshed out scene.
The scenes build on each other and sometimes things wind up going in a
completely different direction than where I had planned! Those pesky characters haunt me. Now I realize writing a few thousand words
every few days sounds like a lot, but much of that winds up in the trash. I once read another famous author’s advice to
aspiring writers and he basically said to just keep writing. Even if you think most of it is junk there
will be some treasures in there. My
newest release, “Isabel’s Awakening” took me almost a year to write because the
characters of Isabel and Thomas just kept talking to me and not letting me
finish their story. For the last couple
months I have been writing a follow-up book and don’t expect to finish before the end of
summer.
What
is a theme of your romances? Theme, what theme, I just look for excuses
to
throw lots of hot sex into my books…I mean of course there are themes of
transformation and healing. *Coughs discreetly and smiles*.
I love fairy tales because the stories are
such simple tales of good and evil, love and hate. A childhood favorite of mine
was the tale of Cinderella. As an adult,
I realize that such a tale really needs some modern updating. In the traditional story, Cinderella is the
poor stepdaughter forced into a cruel fate and can only be saved by her Prince
Charming. Cinderella doesn’t fight her way out of the basement and into the
light; in fact, her attempts at doing so are rather futile and based more on
the activities of her friends than her own ingenuity.
Finally, the only thing Prince Charming
knows about his love for her is her beauty and her sweetness. He has no idea what kind of a woman she
really is! I fully accept that my stories are modern Cinderella tales. They involve women who are attractive, but
not international beauties. They often
have experienced profound loss and pain in their past, which they work to
overcome. They are talented, resourceful and smart women who have a fiery
independent streak and a desire to take on the world in their own way. Each of them falls in love with a different
type of man and each works to bring that man to his knees. They don’t need an alpha male to rescue them;
they want a man to need them and share their souls with. I do wish the Prince had at least known a bit
more about his bride-to-be besides her shoe size.
Anyway, thanks again Rosanna for letting me
blab on today! *Waves and then bites down on lip to stop further talking*.
Author Biography
T.D. Hassett grew up reading the romance greats, Jackie
Collins, Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught.
She was certain that life should be like a romance novel, lots of
passion, some incredible adventures and a guaranteed happily ever after. She attended college in New England earning a
B.A. in history and a M.S. degree in clinical psychology before changing her
mind again and studying education.
Currently Ms. Hassett lives in Connecticut with her very patient husband
and two young children. Her rambunctious
family shares their home with 3 crazy cats and a darling golden retriever named
Delilah. Her eccentric relatives and
their quest to make her feel like the only normal nut in the family tree
inspire her writing.
Isabel’s Awakening
Blurb
It’s been five busy years, and Newcastle-born
singer/guitarist Thomas Morgan is still punishing himself for his younger
brother’s death.
Thomas’s young, fashion-model wife once led
her husband’s idolizing brother, Chris, into both drugs and an adulterous
relationship. The loss of his brother and total destruction of his marriage
destroyed Thomas. To avoid entanglements with others, even his young son,
Thomas focused on promoting his music and the management of his now highly
profitable record company. He thought he had everything at a safe
distance, at least until Isabel literally slammed into his life.
High school teacher, Isabel Warren, finds
herself falling head over heels in love with the sexy-as-sin guitarist for the
rock band Becket. Soon
Isabel’s orderly world of lesson plans, thesis writing, and student loan debt
is competing against desire, passion, and her vulnerable heart.
Isabel struggles to navigate her newly
stirred passions with her rising academic career and independent nature. As the
sex sizzles, the two lovers will have to decide which parts of their dreams
they will sacrifice for their fledgling relationship.
Can Thomas ever trust and love again, and
will the young woman he meets ever have the confidence and strength to be with
him?
Excerpt:
It was well after midnight, and Isabel
felt the buzz of concert beer and party wine. Thomas had been working the room
steadily and checking back to ensure she was chatting happily with a group. She
saw him cornered with a radio show producer he’d introduced her to earlier.
Thomas had a tortured expression on his beautiful face. She finally understood
why the whole band didn’t show up at these things.
The ladies she’d been chatting with
were working up a sweat on the dance floor, and part of her longed to join
them. The rational side won out. She really couldn’t dance and preferred others
not to know how clumsy she could be, especially after a few drinks. Isabel
parked herself by the bar and prepared to enjoy some people-watching. She
couldn’t believe how packed the place was. She did meet some really nice people
and only got snubbed by a few drunken idiots who must have been trawling for
celebrities. Part of her was disappointed it was time to go when Thomas
returned from his latest round of shop talk and asked if she was ready to head
out.
Thomas escorted her to the elevator
while tapping out a message on his iPhone. He was letting the hotel’s driver
know they were ready to go and where to meet them. They stepped into the
mirror-lined elevator and headed down to the lobby level. Suddenly, Isabel was
nervous, and not in a front-door-kiss-or-no-kiss-end-of-the-date sort of way.
She hadn’t had the talk with herself about this date because it just all sort
of happened. She had really expected just to go to the show and then be home by
ten thirty, reading thesis notes and petting her cat. Even at the backstage
party, she’d still thought she’d get to chat with him for a few minutes and
then be dismissed with the rest of the hordes. Why did he want to be with her
when there were so many other girls? Insecurities washed over her.
Thomas overwhelmed her. He was so out
of Isabel’s little world. On Monday, she would teach the Crusades to
disinterested seventeen-year-olds, and he would be many miles away somewhere,
crooning out megahits to a stadium filled with adoring fans. Oh my God. What
was she even pretending to do?
Her disparaging thoughts suddenly flew
totally out of her head. Thomas looked right into her eyes and stroked her
lower lip.
“You did great tonight. I’m really
glad you came,” he huskily whispered. Before she could ask for clarification,
he continued. “I saw you talking and laughing with the staff from Marketing and
Planning, and I liked that. In my line of work, you get a little sick of people
always brown-nosing the celebrities and forgetting who’s responsible for the
whole fuckin’ operation.”
It sounded as though he was about to
say more, but the elevator jerked to a stop, and the lights went out, only to
flicker back on seconds later. Must have been a power surge and the backup generators
were kicking on.
Isabel stared back, wide-eyed and
openmouthed. He leaned closer, and without any further hesitation, his lips met
hers.
This was a kiss, a real, soul-sucking
and tongue-sliding-over-her-lips kiss, the kiss of all kisses. Oh my.
One of his hands slid from her jawline
to the back of her neck and pushed her lips into harder contact with his own.
The other hand gently tugged her jaw down so her mouth opened slightly. His
tongue slipped into her mouth and tickled her inner lip. He swirled his tongue
around and caressed hers. She tasted the heady mix of wine and good stout on
their mingling breaths. Before she could stop herself, she let a little moan
escape. Their mouths became even hungrier for each other, and she pressed her
breasts to his chest. He nibbled her lip a bit and then resumed the dueling of
tongues deep in her mouth. The hand on her neck dropped down and gently
squeezed her ass, pushing her harder into him. She felt his erection against
her lower belly, and very wicked parts of her longed to pull his leather pants
down and stroke him. Isabel rolled her hips against him and was rewarded with a
wonderful growl.
He slid his hand up her clingy tank
top and cupped her breast. She wanted more. Her breasts swelled, and her core became
soaked with just the rhythm of his tongue in her mouth, sliding in and out and
around. His slender fingers slid their way under her bra, and finally, he
stroked one engorged nipple. The blood in her body flooded to two very special
spots.
Isabel strained against his fingers,
wanting him to pinch and stroke her nipple more. Hell, she wanted him to slide
his other hand up and play with both breasts. He ground against her, and she
responded with animal like mewling noises. This was not the teacher her students
would even realize existed.
The elevator shook and resumed its
downward journey, jolting both of them apart. Cool air flowed against her
heated skin, and they each took a deep breath. Thomas stepped sideways a bit.
He smiled like a male model and said simply, “Wow.”
She couldn’t help replying, “Wow to
you too.”
Thank you so much for having me today!
ReplyDeleteTotally my pleasure!!
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