Rockin' & Teasin' with Carlene Love Flores ~ @cloveflores @evernightpub #MWTease #interview

Welcome to the middle of the week!
Mid Week Tease is an event where authors are spotlighting a few lines or a paragraph or two from their stories. Readers, you get to sample some delicious snippets and be teased, titillated and tantalized into the weekend!

This week I'm happy to give my stage over to Carlene Love Flores, author of the rockin' & wonderful Sin Pointe Novel Series. She's going to share some information before her tease. Enjoy!

* Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much to CR Moss for having me over to celebrate my newest release. Touch of Sin is the 4th installment in my Sin Pointe Novel series and I’m so excited to share that it’s an Evernight Free Read! I can’t think of a better way to thank the series fans and welcome new ones. I hadn’t actually planned Luke and Sarrie’s story; it was just one of those that came to me while working on another book but as soon as the idea popped in, I had to go with it. It’s sexy and a little dark, just like the rest of the Sin Pointe Novels. I hope you enjoy and remember, love stories rock! My absolute best to all of you. Xoxo Carlene
~ Blurb ~

* Lonerby guitarist, Luke Willoughby, knows he and his band are under management’s scrutiny since last week’s press conference puking incident by his little brother. The stunt got them suspended from the Sin Pointe tour and Luke fears they’ve blown it for good. The last thing he expects is the cute spy who management sends to observe him. When no-nonsense Sarrie Walker shows up at a gig and blows her own cover by announcing exactly what she’s there to do, Luke is impressed but knows instantly he’s in deep trouble with this one. Sarrie is a breath of innocent yet strong and sexy, calming air and seems completely disinterested in him until they end up stuck together in close quarters. She’s dangerously irresistible but so very off-limits.
* Clearly Sarrie holds Luke’s second chance in her hands.
* But what about his heart? By week’s end, it might be tangled in there too.
~ The Tease! (a.k.a. Excerpt) ~ * Sarrie stepped carefully and mostly on tip toes out of the tiny, grime grouted shower. She’d had to waste one of their two usable towels for a floor mat and made sure to land on it.
* The good news was that she no longer teetered on what she’d tell Mr. Keller when they made it to D.C.
* Noah was sick and while he’d managed himself at these smaller gigs, he didn’t belong on a massive, nationwide Sin Pointe tour. She tried to picture him night after night and the binge drinking sessions. It hurt her heart to think of it but worse than that was picturing the landslide of sleepless nights Luke would have to suffer through caring for him. Sure, they might all hate her as a consequence, but that’s why it was called tough love. The truth hurt at first. And sometimes for a very long time after. But at least the person would be alive.
* She grabbed for the towel she’d left on the toilet seat and found a loosely folded bunch of clothes. Not hers because they were too big and, she pulled the shirt to her nose, they smelled like Luke. “Mmmm.”
* Her eyes popped open so wide she felt her lashes touch her brow bone. Yes, she’d just sighed at a man’s smell. It was a first. Maybe it was because her decision no longer hung over her head, but she could get lost in the fact she held the shirt he’d played in. She inhaled and the smell brought back visions of him serving as master of his guitar and the beads of sweat that had dotted his forehead, the one that hung from his nose, and the slick mass that had wet his chest hairs showing through the top of his V neck shirt. He’d been so lost in the music that he hadn’t seen her staring or cared about the sweat. She’d noticed more than she realized and had to stop and breathe through what that meant.
* “So that’s it, Sarrie? You’re going there now?” she whispered to herself. “Unbelievable.”
* Why shouldn’t she?
* Because she’d never had these feelings for a man before? Because the two days she’d known Luke were clearly not long enough and she was here to study him, not fall into a foolish one-sided infatuation? Or was it that his life situation was too close a reminder of the one she’d finally saved herself and her father from? The heaviness of all those truths bowed her shoulders inward and down.
* He’s gonna be dealing with Noah’s addiction for a long time to come, especially if he can’t stand to see his baby brother suffer. That’s what enablers did. She knew because she’d watched her mom tiptoe around her dad until the day Mom just didn’t come home.
* Plopping down on the toilet seat, she bundled Luke’s jeans together with his shirt and hugged them. A sock fell from the pile. She found its match and could have cried at his selflessness. He was a good guy and he had a ton of hurt coming his way. For a second, she forgot where she was and nearly let her head fall back against the dingy bathroom wall.
* Cold air leaking through the thin motel walls made her shiver. So did the thought of wearing Luke’s clothes. But after she made sure to dry off with the one towel, she pulled on her old panties and bra and then his jeans, which nearly fell right back down, and then slipped his V neck shirt over her head. The baggy look reminded her of the girls from TLC, but not one single day in her life had she ever felt crazy, sexy or cool. Well, maybe she could identify with the crazy part. Completely foreign to her was the thought of what Luke would think. And then she had an altogether more shocking thought. If his clothes were in here, what was he wearing?
* Hot gusts of air puffed out from her lungs until she managed to calm them down. But all she could really think about were bare, strong shoulders and more than just the tiny glimpses she’d gotten of his chest in the V cut shirt she currently wore. She needed a drink of water. Badly. She wiggled her toes in his giant socks.

Pick up your free copy of Touch of Sin here: Evernight Publishing or at All Romance eBooks

About Carlene Love Flores
* Carlene Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no favorites there-she loves them all). These things inspire her intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC). Carlene currently lives in the D.C. area where she can often be found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear nights. If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.

Find Carlene Love Flores here...
Website | Publisher | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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

Keep on rockin' by reading the teases at these awesome authors' blogs...

A Look At Ben Wright from 'Sin’s Haven' ( @cloveflores @evernightpub #contemporary #romance )

..Today we have Ben Wright visiting from the story Sin’s Haven (A Sin Pointe Novel, #3). Welcome!

..Ben Wright, what would you like to tell readers about yourself?
......Hey there, it’s me, Ben. Geez, that sounds really formal or else pretty lame. Sorry, not used to being the one getting asked the questions. Yeah, so I am from Southern Cali but not the chillaxed, beachside places you’re probably thinking of. Barstow’s not rockin’ anybody’s socks, at least not that I know of. I haven’t spent much time there since I became the glorified errand boy for the band Sin Pointe, I mean their webmaster. It’s a pretty cool job and the band have pretty much adopted me. The guys just moved from Cali to Nashville, TN so I’ve been uber busy getting studio stuff set up. Oh, so my birthday night fiasco…let’s just say I spent six years chasing after the wrong girl and it blew up in my face…that’s pretty much why Carlene wrote my story. It was jacked up what happened but I wouldn’t change a thing since I ended up with a sweet deal in the end.

..Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
......It’s funny you ask that right off the bat because most peeps I meet for the first time assume I’m into dudes, which I have no problem with, except for I’m totally not. But whatevs. I like what I like and I’m not gonna worry about changing my style or the way I do my hair. Being around the guys in the band for as long as I have, you kind of learn to shut a lot of the outside noise off and focus on your real friends who could give a crap if you’re into bracelets and Kenzo.

..Is humor important? Why or why not?
......Oh yeah, I make jokes all the time. Are you kidding me? I’m this tall, lanky computer nerd dude and I’m living with these guys who are so freaking smooth, they make girls cry just by breathing the same air. If it weren’t for humor, I’d be all kinds of disturbed.

..Does your author ever try to take over the story? And how do you deal with it?
......Oh dude, this is too funny. But yeah, that actually almost happened. I remember Carlene working on the story one day and she came to me with, “Benny sweetie, no one’s gonna believe you chased Erby around for six years and never hooked up.” She kept winking at me like I was lying about that part and I could be honest with her. I think she even hinted we should flip it and make me this dude who was hooking up all the time but just never connecting with the girl, like with my emotions. Luckily she took one more look at me and was like, “Nope, that’s just not you.” Look, the deal is that I work these insane hours for the band, we’re on the road a lot, and while I could have hooked up a ton, I just wasn’t into that. I have a reason and it’s in the book, but I don’t really wanna get into it here. Sorry. But then I found The One and Carlene was like, “Slow down, you guys can’t just wham, bam, thank you ma’am so fast.” Would it be weird if I put a smiley face here? :) Pow, there we go.

..What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
......Carlene is eyeballing me not to give too much away but I think I have permission to say that camping is something I look forward to every year now. :) Bam, another smiley face. Wait, that’s supposed to be a winky face. ;)

..What’s your take on Erby?
......So here’s the deal. I guess people get pretty pissed when they read what happened on my birthday night. So Erby’s got a lot of haters. But I’m like, if it wasn’t for what she did...let’s just say I think about sending her “Thank You” flowers some days. The way I see it, no harm no foul. Trista and Lily on the other hand (two of my closest friends) don’t see it that way. I think they’d like to send something her way, but it’s not flowers.

..Where do you see yourself in the future? What do you hope to accomplish?
......I’ve got a pretty sweet deal as far as my job goes but I’m not ashamed to admit I totally want to be a daddy someday soon. I’m 31 so I’m pretty much ready. As soon as I get the green light, I’m going into baby making mode big time.

..Now for some author information!

......My author is Carlene Love Flores. Carlene Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no favorites there-she loves them all). These things inspire her intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC). Carlene currently lives in the D.C. area where she can often be found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear nights. If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.

..You can find my author, Carlene Love Flores, here...
......Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads | Evernight Author Page

..Now for some book information!
..A look into the story

..~ Blurb ~ ......When Sin Pointe webmaster, Benjamin Wright, is publicly humiliated on his birthday, he knows he’s never gonna be able to show his face around the guys again. But an angelic hostess who lets him sleep it off at the club seems surprisingly eager to help him out. Is his luck changing or does she just feel sorry for him?
......Hazel Temple, bagel mistress by day and club hostess by night, feels horrible for inadvertently playing a part in Ben’s embarrassment and vows to make it up to him—by telling him they had a sizzling hot one night stand. Still recovering from losing her fiancé to suicide, she worries about Ben when he discovers her lie. Is she bound to hurt the men she cares about?
......A Sin Pointe camping trip provides Hazel her chance to get Ben’s groove back.
......Will her webmaster be the one to rock her world? ..~ Excerpt ~ ......Unless a chick was super into a personalized website or slick Facebook banner, Ben didn’t have much woo factor to offer. And a one-night-stand-to-blow-your-mind was definitely not on his menu. He wouldn’t have slept with Erby on their first date and he’d known her for six years! Okay, maybe he would have last night...
......“I suck and ow,” he said, holding his head in one hand while his elbow dug into his knee. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember Haven’s hands on his legs, maybe playing with his knees. It was a hot fantasy, but he got nothing. “Great, just great,” he muttered and then stood up and flushed, even though he hadn’t even dropped his trousers.
......It was time to make his way out.
......But what if she was out there, waiting?
......An apology. That’s what he owed her. A big ole I’m sorry. This woman might have been pleased with her experience but she should know he wasn’t that kind of guy.
......As he dragged his reluctant feet from the stall, her kiss popped onto his lips. He remembered. She’d tasted like sweet cherries. He was so screwed. He knew he’d messed up and had no idea how to deal with this which meant avoidance until he figured it out. What would Jaxon do?
......“You’re not Jaxon, dip wad. You’re Saint Benjamin,” he told himself as he swallowed, and followed the narrow hallway from the back office up to the café.
......Coffee.
......He needed some and if she was up there, he could invite her to have a cup with him. And maybe talk. Nerves brewed heavy in his stomach as he pushed open the curtains that divided the club from the café. Why in the world he chose that very moment to start worrying about condoms was beyond him. But he fumbled for his wallet and found the one he kept still tucked into his bill fold.
......“Oh shit.”

..Buy Sin’s Haven here...
......Evernight Publishing | Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand

..Thank you for joining us here today, Ben Wright! It was a pleasure getting to know about you, the story you're in, and your author.

Exchange of dialogue ( #DDRTbooks #Follow @crmoss @rmsotera @cloveflores @evernightpub #erom )

I'm over at Carlene Love Flores's blog today! Come on over, give the post a read, learn what my favorite exchange of dialogue is in Wild West Promise, and say "Hi!" I'd sure appreciate it. Visit: Carlene's blog
Happy Reading!
C.R.

A Look At Carlene Love Flores & 'Sin’s Flower' ( @cloveflores @evernightpub #contemporary #romance )

Today we have author Carlene Love Flores visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* My middle name really is Love which is for Elvis Presley’s mom, Gladys Love. So I guess the universe really wanted me to be involved in music and romance. And I have two tattoos. I got the first one, which is an apple, back in the 90’s before I even knew I’d fall in love with the Twilight books. The second is the Depeche Mode Violator rose which I got to celebrate loving that band for over twenty years. I like both being surprised by life but also taking the time to make the right decisions.

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?
* Today I’m here to share the second book in the Sin Pointe Novel series, Sin’s Flower. (Book #1 is Sidewalk Flower.) In Sin’s Flower, Jaxon James, a rock star single-father desperate to give his daughter a stable home life, falls in love with his best friend’s estranged, younger sister, Lily, but fears stealing her away before the two are able to heal. I think just like many of the series I love to read, each Sin Pointe novel stands on its own as a separate story, but if you read them in order, you get the inside jokes, the underlying issues and feel the relationships that carry over better.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
* When Sidewalk Flower ended, I realized that the hero and heroine of that story had earned and been rewarded their happy ending, but the heroine’s best friend, Jaxon James, had been left miserable and broken hearted. I knew he needed and deserved love so I promised to help him find it in Sin’s Flower. A lot of my inspiration for Jaxon’s story comes from Joel Schumacher’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’ movie. I always wished the Phantom had gotten the girl in the end the same way I hoped Jaxon would find a girl strong enough to deal with his darkness and not be ashamed to love him.

Describe the hero in five words.
* Jaxon is tough but sensitive, protective and selfish, alone, can be charming when he wants to be, and carnal. (I know, way more than 5!)

Describe the heroine in five words.
* Lily is a country girl, honest, willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, and awesome because she’s not ashamed to be seen with Jaxon! (5 is really hard!)

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* Oh, my heart belongs to Jaxon. This really is his story. Without him, there would be no band, Sin Pointe, and I would be a sad and lonely little writer without his and the boys’ antics. But I also have a huge soft spot for the band’s webmaster, Benny. He’s totally brilliant yet acts more like a glorified errand boy. I think he’s just looking to fit in somewhere. I’m hoping to bring his story to the series next.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* It’s from a song Jaxon wrote for Lily: “I can’t help from drowning in your eyes, you make me wanna come and clean up all these lies, let me up before I die. Mine.”

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * When Jaxon James, a sexy rock star and struggling single-father, is invited to ditch California and spend Christmas in Tennessee with his estranged family, he hesitantly accepts for his young daughter’s sake. But his attraction to his best friend’s baby sister, Lily Elstone, threatens to unravel the bonds he’s made for his daughter. The honorable thing to do would be to give up Lily. But his instincts are telling him she’s exactly the one who could bring light to his life and the missing fire to his bed. Unfortunately, Lily's too sweet for his world. He fears his rock and roll life style will taint her. How far are Jaxon and Lily willing to go to find what’s missing at home? ~ Excerpt ~ * Hell, maybe he was just trying to scare her straight. This is the real me, I will take you and you will regret it. Here’s a little taste.
* “You know I never wanted to kiss your sister, but you on the other hand. I’m not gonna lie, I could definitely kiss you. I won’t, of course.”
* “You won’t?”
* He paused again to consider the green light she’d just given him with that hopeful lilt tagging the end of her response.
* “You have a great accent,” he said. As much as he’d love to keep her talking just so he could hear her southern quirky drawl, it was time to start winding down.
* “So do you,” she said.
* “I really like your voice, Lily.” He was about to say But I can’t lick and talk at the same time so let’s shush now and we’ll get to that talk later, when she made a tiny movement that pressed her neck into his lips. Their little word play was helping her relax so he held off on asking for her silence.
* “I like yours too.”
* “I like your mouth,” he said.
* “I like your…lips.”
* “Lily, I changed my mind. I am going to kiss you.”
* “Jaxon, what are we doing?”
* “Talking.” He blew another breath into his favorite little place on earth right now.

Buy Sin’s Flower here...
Evernight Publishing | Amazon | All Romance eBooks | Bookstrand

Find Carlene Love Flores here...
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Evernight | Amazon

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

A Look At Carlene Love Flores & 'Sidewalk Flower' ( @cloveflores @evernightpub #SO )

Today we have author Carlene Love Flores visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Let’s see here…I am a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest music (especially Depeche Mode), and my traveling family (no favorites there-I love them all). These things have always inspired me to think up edgy, intimate love stories and continue to do so. If I could touch someone’s heart with my writing the way others have done for me, I’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.

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?
* Today I’m sharing my first published book, Sidewalk Flower. So far it’s a single title but we’ll see. There’s definite series potential with the incorrigible members of the band, Sin Pointe.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
* Yay! I’m so glad you asked this. A little while back, I had the opportunity to hang out backstage with the security manager for one of my favorite bands. While Sidewalk Flower is completely fictional, the experience of seeing how things worked backstage on a tour was very powerful for me.

Describe the hero in five words.
* Humble, Yummy, Ambitious, Blond, Country

Describe the heroine in five words.
* Jaded, Instinctual, Loyal, Fighter, Wounded

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* I love Trista. She was so patient with me for several years. It took a very long time to find a guy strong enough for her. I think we’re all happy now though.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* The girl who played with boys but was never fazed by them was staring at him like he was her guardian angel and she was his beauty school dropout.

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * A jaded young woman, Trista, sets out on an intense road trip home to deal with her past when she is asked to allow a relative stranger, Lucky, to tag along.
* But, she’s seen too many good guys succumb to the harsh realities of her supposed privileged life in the music business and intends on keeping her distance.
* When she picks up Lucky, the southern gentleman cousin of her selfish best friend, she has absolutely no idea of how to accept a perfectly good person with good intentions. Home has never looked so good, or felt so far away.
~ Excerpt ~ * Her two insistent hands pressed against the back of his neck like she was forcing him to do this. It was cute. Yeah, she was dead wrong. He’d wanted to kiss her since he’d first seen her, hopping down out of that girly silver Jeep. But he knew better. Earning something you wanted took more than a few hours. And if he’d gathered anything from her hot and cold responses so far, it was that Jaxon’s vague but deliberate warning that he take good care of her hadn’t been just puffed up, ego talk.
* This girl was in trouble.
* He should have stepped away for both their sakes. He knew he didn’t deserve this kind of kiss, not yet. But California was glued to him on full speed and didn’t appear to have a pause, let alone a rewind button. On second thought, he’d let her get this out of her system and then they’d start over.
* Her hand had to be killing her, so he managed to pull it down and keep it tucked at her side. But the other one was petting those hairs at the back of his neck, leaving him seconds away from coming undone. If he clenched his jaw any tighter, those painful yet ticklish sensations shooting throughout his upper body would without a doubt get him into trouble down below. Heck, if he squeezed her in his arms like he wanted to, she’d feel how aroused he’d let himself get. He worked his jaw to ease away from the pain, wishing he could let go entirely and enjoy her touch. Yep, their fresh start was gonna have to wait until she was done proving her point. Cute girl though.
* * * *
* His lips were soft and salty like he’d worked up a sweat at some point during the day. Crap, again she cursed his damn tempting bloodline. This would only complicate their pending trip even more. So naturally, when he smartly pulled her one hand away, she found a sweet spot of baby hairs with the other and went for more. Her rules—that was the only way to play with the boys and stay safe.

Buy Sidewalk Flower here...
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
Bookstrand
All Romance eBooks

Find Carlene Love Flores here...
Website/Blog
Evernight Publishing
Waterworld Mermaids Blog
Facebook
Twitter

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