A Look At Nicola Cameron & 'Grading the Curve' ( @YesItsNicolaC @evernightpub #erom #rotg )

Today we have author Nicola Cameron visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* I’m a married woman of a certain age who really likes writing about sex. When not writing about sex, I like to knit. Well, it’s true!
* Okay, okay, the full version: I’ve had a healthy interest in sex since puberty, but it wasn’t until 2012 that I decided to write about it. Turns out that the skills picked up during my SF writing career transfer rather nicely to erotic romance — who knew? In addition to Grading the Curve, my fantasy erotic romance novel Storm Season (Book One in the Olympic Cove series) is also available from Evernight Publishing
* When not writing, I’m usually making Stuff(TM), kissing my husband, or entertaining my cats.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
* Grading the Curve is a Romance on the Go novelette from Evernight Publishing. Ellen Ragsdale is a scholarship student who has sacrificed a great deal in order to put herself through college. One of her only pleasures is fantasizing about one of her English professors, the aloof and sardonic Alexander Cord. But after her finals, she learns that Alex has been fantasizing about her as well, and decides to make both their fantasies come true.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
* Er, I might have a bit of a teacher kink -- LONG story. And when Evernight opened submissions for an anthology of stories featuring dominant males and the women who love them, I wrote Grading the Curve for it. It wound up getting rejected, but I was told to expand the story and add an epilogue, then resubmit it as a Romance on the Go standalone. I did, it was accepted, and here we are!

Describe the hero in five words.
* Alex Cord: Sardonic with a sweet center.

Describe the heroine in five words.
* Ellen Ragsdale: Don’t be fooled -- she’s tough.

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* I would have to say Ellen, because she’s worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a great deal to put herself through college, and it’s very satisfying to see her get what she wanted in the end.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* Professor Alexander Cord was, if she had to be honest, a bit of a tool.

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * Ellen Ragsdale is a scholarship student who just wants to get her college degree and start her life. Alexander Cord is a widowed English professor who hides his loneliness behind a sardonic wall. School rules have kept them at arm’s length all year long. But on the last night of Ellen’s college career, the two of them risk everything to find out if their mutual attraction is more than a classroom crush.

~ Excerpt ~ * “Did you know that you always blush when you talk to me?” he said quietly. “It’s charming. You look like a medieval maiden receiving her first suitor.”
* It felt like someone had painted fire across her skin. She ducked her head, staring dumbly at the hallway’s scarred paint. He couldn’t know. Nobody knew that about her. It wasn’t that obvious.
* Was it?
* “Interesting.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I meant it as a compliment, but perhaps I struck closer to the truth than I’d intended.” He moved closer, and she could feel the heat from his whole body now, warming her like an invisible caress. “Are you?”
* She swallowed hard. He couldn’t be asking what she thought he was asking. “A-am I—”
* “A maiden. A virgin. I believe a popular term is ‘unicorn bait.’” His voice dropped, turning into a soft rumble. “I have to admit, I’m puzzled as to how someone as lovely and intelligent as you could still be virginal.”

Buy Grading the Curve here...
Evernight Publishing | Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand

Find Nicola Cameron here...
Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Evernight Publishing | Goodreads | Bookstrand | Amazon | All Romance eBooks

Thank you for joining us here today, Nicola Cameron! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.