Lauren: Hey everyone, thanks so much for having me here today!
If you got through the above silliness – you know a little bit about my upcoming contemporary erotic romance release, Taking Care of Business. One of my favorite things about the book is that I wrote it with my bestie, Megan Hart. We came up with the idea as a way to pass the time while waiting in line for a dinner at the 2007 RT Convention in Houston. The whole process has been a lot of fun and there’s something to be said about every once in a while taking a project that is just about fun – if the opportunity comes up, I highly recommend it! Megan and I have a lot of goofy fun so writing a book was really just a lot of us talking too much on IM and ripping ourselves off when we needed dialog. I’m sure it’s not always this enjoyable – this time around, I had a huge last minute deadline drop in while we were writing No Reservations and so we had to write around my schedule. Luckily, we know each other pretty well and we share the same basic attitude about work so it didn’t cause any tension. But a lot of the time, it was like, “I think Kate needs to go to a strip club with Dix.” And Megan would ping me back, “WHEEEEE!” Some days, this job is really fun.
I loved writing Katherine because she’s a woman who knows what she wants. She’s focused on her career and she knows the hard way that things in business are different for women than they are for men so she keeps a big wall between her personal life and her work life. I loved that about her character, I loved that she wasn’t a woman who hated sex or who was afraid of love, she just has to figure out if she can let someone from her work life into her personal life.
In her case, her man, Charles Dixon, isn’t having any excuses. But he’s respectful of her space and her independence. He doesn’t think she’s being silly but he wants her and he’s not going to let her walk out of his life until she admits she wants him too. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that in my head, Dix is totally Dr. Christian Troy from Nip/Tuck. Poor Dix, I think Kate sullied him a bit, and left him sweaty and weak kneed.
Anyway, it was a great experience. Two friends writing about two friends. The story is simple and straightforward with two adult women facing a lot of the same things many women face with men who aren’t jerks or too good to be true. I hope if you pick up TCOB you have as fun reading it as we had writing it.
Pre-Order from Amazon US – releases March 31, 2009
One conference, two friends, two men who know how to take care of business.
Blurb: After leaving the wrong man, Leah Griffin’s not ready to look for the right one. All she wants is to survive the conference she’s planning and spend some time with her best friend Kate Edwards. She’s not expecting the conference services manager to be so tall, dark and handsome…or so eager to please. It’s Brandon Long’s job to make Leah happy, but after a scorching interlude in her hotel room, neither can deny business has become pleasure.
Smart, driven and successful attorney, Katherine Edwards has spent her life making the right choices. Directly counter to those right choices, she’s involved in a long distance, secret love affair with a co-worker. Charles Dixon is a bad choice she can’t help but make – over and over. A conference and a promotion bring Kate back to Pennsylvania and suddenly, Dix wants far more than a few nights in random hotel rooms. He wants something permanent and Katherine has to figure out if sometimes a wrong choice isn’t exactly what a woman needs.
We had a great time with this project and were lucky enough to also sell the follow up book, NO RESERVATIONS which follows Kate and Dix, Leah and Brandon this time to Las Vegas
[Ed note: Lauren is going to give away a copy of her book, so chime in and say incredibly witty things. It might just be your lucky day.]
Can’t wait to get a copy of this book. If it’s half as good as all your other books it will be great.
Um, nothing like the pressure to be witty to make my mind go blank…
o..O
This is definitely on my to-read list!
LOL LOL LOL Sorry Chris! I know :X my mind always blanks at the simplest questions, so I guess it was evil of me to put in a demanding one. But I hope you read TCOB and enjoy it!
(And the same to you, Jeana!)
I’m going to have to read this book!
sounds like another good book. as usual lol Love your books.
Writing is such a lonesome endeavor. Writing with a friend sounds positively wonderful! Plus, I can only imagine what your two minds came up with!
Oh my! I cannot wait to read this one. I absolutely love your books. Guess I know what I’m doing this weekend. Blissfully reading. Ahhh.
Yay on the follow-up book! I haven’t even read the first one yet and I’m already looking forward to the next, LOL. I love to see what happens next 🙂
I don’t have to be witty as I’ve got one of these bad girls coming to me in the mail, but I just wanted to say congratulations on getting a contract for the followup book!!
This series sounds as fun as your blog videos, and I would love to read it.
Since I’ve read just about everything both of y’all have written – this one is bound to be a hit.
I have this book on my wish list! Would love to win it, it could be a my mini-stimulus package!
Thanks everyone for taking the time to stop in and say hello! And thanks for all the compliments as well. I appreciate folks reading my books.
Yes, writing with Megan is a hoot and we had a great time with TCOB and No Reservations too. We’ll definitely do it again when our schedules open up a bit.
I’ve yet to read anything from you, but I have a friend that highly recommends your books to me.
How awesome is it that your able to write a book with your friend?!? I think it’s a great idea and I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Fun! But probably not super easy 🙂 Congrats on the new book!!
I’ve already got TCOB but wanted everyone to know what a great read Taking Care of Business is! Hot sex just like you would expect from a Black Lace book. I was surprised at how real the characters were and how wonderfully the romances developed. I guess being best friends explains how you two were able to intertwine the two developing relationships so well.
I am sooo excited about No Reservations! My only complaint about TCOB was that I wanted a little follow up on the ending. Now it’s coming!! Woo hoo! When is it do out?
Taking Care of Business sounds great!
I remember this cover and all being up way before its been released and so been looking forward to this, finally out! Thats neat too that you’ll have a follow up book at well. Do you plan for more too together writing? How’s you get to write together (do you have two separate stories or did you write one book together?). I can’t imagine going back and forth!
Have a great weekend!
It looks great! Congrats on the release!
This story looks like a fantastic read.
I love these video blog things that you and megan do, they always make me smile, especially the dancing and your reactions to each other =)
I’ve been wanting for a copy of this book for a while, and I went to my local bookstore this weekend, and they didn’t have it..Grr!
Limecello, thanks for the review of TCOB. Just the fact that you’ve already re-read parts of it just makes me want it even more =)
Eshani, yay! 😀 Thanks for reading the review!!! And, I hope you get a copy – maybe your bookstore will order it for you?
seen it everywhre sounds great so very hto ladies
love the cover for the sequel congrats
I love Hart’s writing and have been meaning to try a book by Dane. So count me in on this one 🙂