Blog

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Dream Lover?

I started this series early in my career, and Dream Man (Book 1) is special to me because it was my first full-length romance novel with a big publishing house. To tell you how long ago that was, the concept of the Dream Weavers came to me as I was watching an episode of Charmed involving a Sandman. The idea felt fresh and unique, so I began researching sleep and dreams. Once I discovered the Oneiroi, dream gods from Greek mythology, the idea became fully formed. I wrote two books at that time, but then moved on to other things. The concept never left me, though. I really loved the Dream Weavers world, especially the Sunday morning meetings of the Oneiroi at IHOP. I’d think of the other brothers and what their stories might be.

This year, the ideas came faster, and they were more vivid. I knew it was time to return to that nighttime world. Dream Rider was released in May, and Tony and Hunter were big supporting characters in that book. They had a spark that I really wanted to explore, that enemies-to-lovers friction. I jumped into this book immediately afterward, and the dynamic between Tony (a Dream Weaver) and Hunter (a moon goddess) made Dream Lover a super-fast write. I enjoy the two of them together, and I think readers will, too.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Dream Lover, what would they be?

Tony is too complicated for one song, but Hunter’s would totally be Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genres to read and write are the same: contemporary romance and paranormal/fantasy romance.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and Darius by J.R. Ward are on the TBR paranormal/fantasy pile. Dear Stranger by Winter Renshaw is on the contemporary one.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Tony and Hunter start out hot and heavy, with their attraction to each other pushing them past their animosity. My favorite scene, though, is when the two of them go out stargazing one night and start moving past the physical. They are interrupted by uninvited guests in a way I found humorous and endearing.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I’m at my most productive when I go old-school with technology. If I use my laptop, email and the internet are always there tempting me, so I use a word processor called an AlphaSmart Neo that I bought off eBay. All I can use it for is writing, and it only shows the last four lines, so it keeps me moving forward. When I have a draft of a chapter, I download it to my laptop and begin the editing process.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Eye of the tiger, which to me means focus on what you want and go for it.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Your biggest enemies might not be that different from you.

Kimberly Dean is the author of the new book Dream Lover

Connect with Kimberly Dean

Author Site

Buy The Book

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Good Looking?

I wanted to tell a different kind of love story, about unusual people, but showing how they are still basically the same as everyone else.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Good Looking, what would they be?

Abby: "How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths (this actually appears at a major moment for her in the book).

Nick: "You Are the Everything" by REM.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Right now I'm reading so many webcomics. I wish I could draw but I can't, so novels it is for me as an author.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

The World Between Us by Ruth Madison and Break Me Out by Avery Kingston.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Any of the comedic scenes. I love the absurdity of the college years, where you feel like you should be an adult but really aren't yet.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

Like most working moms, I only have time to write after my kids have gone to bed, sigh.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

There's no one right way to love someone, we all just have to figure it out for ourselves.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Everyone should be free to express their sexuality in whatever way feels right to them, as long as it's consensual and respectful. We all need to be more generous and understanding of others and ourselves when it comes to sex and sexuality.

Lucy May Lennox is the author of the new book Good Looking

Buy The Book

What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Exposed Desire?

The entire Benedict Brother series was me wanting to try my hand at something different than what I normally wrote. I made the setting Charleston because it’s one of my favorite cities. What I hadn’t planned on was Jade. She was nowhere in my initial plot outline, but popped up in Book One (Perilous Kiss) and refused to behave.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Exposed Desire, what would they be?

I was born in the 70s, so I’m going old school on this one! Definitely, Pam Tillis and ‘The River and the Highway’ The lyrics are below.

She follows the path of least resistance She doesn't care to see the mountain top She twists and turns with no regard to distance She never comes to a stop And she rolls, she's a river Where she goes, time will tell Heaven knows, he can't go with her And she rolls, all by herself All by herself He's headed for a single destination He doesn't care what's standing in his path He's a line between two points of separation He ends just where it says to on the map And he rolls, he's a highway Where he goes, time will tell Heaven knows, she can't go with him And he rolls, all by himself All by himself And every now and then, he offers her a shoulder And every now and then, she overflows And every now and then, a bridge crosses over It's a moment that every lover knows...

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

Romance is my preferred genre, but I’m open to anything as long as it has a happy ending. I was scarred for life once when I read an Amish “romance” where the hero died in the next to last chapter. You just can’t do that to me. I haven’t read a book about the Amish since!

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

I’m on a bit of a historical romance kick at the moment. I’m currently reading Always be My Duchess by Amalie Howard, and The Countess by Sophie Jordan is up next. I just finished Evie Dunmore’s Portrait of a Scotsman. And because it’s in my top five of all time and I need a reread, I’ll probably crack open Mary Balogh’s Slightly Dangerous soon.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Without giving away any spoilers, there’s a scene where Alyssa gets an email and its contents and the fallout were the most fun. I hope it’s a twist no one saw coming.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I wish I did because that would be really cool. Unfortunately, my only writing quirk is that I don’t have one.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Don’t let your past define your future.

Tara Sue Me is the author of the new book Exposed Desire (The Benedict Brothers, Book 3)

Connect with Tara Sue Me

Author Site

Buy The Book