Author Interview with Sydney St. Claire + GIVEAWAY!

Note: The following book is erotica. I normally don't host these, but there's no nudity on the cover or explicit content in this interview. Plus, she's my fellow Rose from The Wild Rose Press!


So please help me to welcome Sydney St. Clare to Write with Fey! She is sharing her inspiration behind her BDSM novella, wonderful advice for new writers, and a fabulous giveaway! 

Sydney, tell us about your current release.

Jaimie Newberry is jobless, her rent is due, and her cat just died. On top of that, she was accused of embezzling before she was fired. When her friend invites her for a weekend of kinky fairytale role-playing, she agrees to go as Cinderella. What has she got to lose when sex with a handsome prince is involved?

CEO Bryce Langston needs to know if Jamie is innocent of embezzlement or just very clever. He arranges for her to be his weekend sub but soon realizes the pretty scullery maid is naïve to the BDSM lifestyle. As her prince and her Dom, he intends to not only learn the truth but to make sure she has a fantasy come true.

TRAILER:

Genre: Erotica (BDSM)

Length: 84 pages

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Release Date: September 12^th, 2014

BUY LINKS: 

The Wild Rose Press / Amazon

NOOK / KOBO / IBOOKS

1.    Is Cinderella and Prince Dom part of a series?

Yes, this is book one of my Once Upon A Dom series. Red & The Big Bad Dom, book two will be out in November.

2.    What movies inspired your book?

There wasn’t really a movie that inspired my book but more of an idea. Writing in the BDSM market, the series title just popped into my head. Once Upon A Time became Once Upon A Dom. Then I really liked the idea of taking fairy tale characters and putting them into a BDSM setting. Fairytales you’re mother never read you became the series tag line. But I will say, with the ABC show Once Upon A Time, and the new Maleficent movie, the idea of taking fairytales and using them as my theme held a lot of appeal. Must be something in the air!

3.    I love the show Once Upon a Time! What would women find irresistible about your hero?

     Bryce is a Dominant male sexually and he takes his role seriously. When he learns Jaimie is about as vanilla as you can get, he decides to introduce her into some light BDSM and show her just what her body really craves. It doesn’t matter that he’s unsure of her innocence in an embezzling scheme or that he’ll prosecute her if she’s guilty.

     The two issues are separate. She’s there for fun, games, and sex and he’s the perfect Dom to see that she has the best weekend of her life.

     The other aspect of Bryce is his devotion to his deceased wife. He loved her and until he meets Jaimie, there’s been no other man. He’s also a kind, caring and honest man. Once he’s learned the truth about Jaimie, he goes out of his way to admit he was wrong.

     I think it boils down to his having that alpha personality with just enough beta thrown in so women get it all with Bryce.

4.  Bryce sounds steaming! If you have a pen name, can you explain how you came up with it?

I have a pen name: Sydney St. Claire. I’ve always loved the name Sydney, and a very long time ago, I had St. Claire as the last name of another “possible” pen name. When I was deciding on a pen name, I spent time searching for free domains, blogs, Facebook pages, twitter handles, etc. I wanted to get all of the social media names for whatever pen name I chose. So I ended up merging a couple of pen names on my list until I ended up on Sydney St. Claire. I like her. Think I’ll keep her!

5.     I like her, too! What are a few things we would find in or on your desk?

Lol’s on this question. I have a huge executive size desk and I have very LITTLE room on it. I have a rose quartz and an amethyst tea light candleholder, a monitor and a small paper sorter. Other than that, my desk is taken up with three cat beds and there are usually three cats in those beds (though in the summer not all the time). In winter, there are usually four cats at times, and a few times, all five have insisted that I can’t possible write without their support…

6.     Your desk looks a lot like mine! Share three random facts about you.

Obviously I love my cats and spoil them horribly, I love to garden and have a cool, 26 foot medicine wheel garden (the weeds are having a hay-day), my first grandchild is on the way—a little girl so am busy sewing cute little dresses.

7.    How long have you been writing?

Wow, have to think on this. My first book came out in 1996 and it was a 9-year road to being published so that means I started in 1987. Holy-Moly! 27 years. Now I feel very, very old!

8.     What lessons did you learn early on in your writing career? (Your advice to new writers.)

Determination:  Be determined in your quest. The road to being published is windy, twisted, and filled with potholes and often times, the bridges have been blown up by fate, and you have to travel the longer road. 

Stubbornness:  Be stubborn. Believe in your work and don’t be defeated when an editor (or agent) says your baby is ugly and will never see the light of day. Stubbornly refuse to run and hide and keep working on the beautiful baby. Rewrite, edit, and resubmit. And in the meantime, take what you learn and keep writing. Be stubborn. “I will write. I will submit. I will do what it takes to achieve my goal.”

Willingness: Be willing to work your butt off. It takes a lot of work. Sometimes many years. My road was 9 years and I trust me, it took determination, stubbornness and willingness to get to where your entire writing career hinges on you being willing. If your publishing house goes out of business (mine did) then you have to be willing to start over. If your genre takes a dive (westerns did), then you have to be willing to try something new. Be willing to rebrand yourself, be willing to work hard, be willing to reap your rewards.

9.    Great advice, Sydney! If you could write anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

With except of Hawaii, which has got to be a very inspiring place to go, I’d choose something a little bit more generic. I love the Mendocino coast. It calls to me periodically. I love the sea. I also love mountains so a nice place in the woods (no chance of fire please) would also be an inviting and welcome place to write.

10.    That sounds lovely! Do you listen to music while you write?

Absolutely. Not every time but I often do put on music. I either choose from my computer my current favorite play list which has Blackmore’s Nights, David Lantz, Secret Garden and Gregorian Chanters and Enya. Very new aggy. I’m also known to play Neil Diamond, Walela, and Jaya Lakshmi. More often, I put on Pandora and select a new age channel.

About the Author:

Sydney St. Claire is the pseudonym of Susan Edwards, author of 14 Historical Native American/Western/Paranormal romances and the author of the popular “White” Series.

Sydney loves writing and sharing stories of love, happiness and dreams come true with her readers. She credits her mother for her writing success. Encouraged to read as a child, she always preferred happy endings which meant romances were her favorite genre. Sydney takes her readers into the world of erotica romance where her characters come together in explosive passion as they solve life’s problems and find true love along with the best sex our hero and heroine have ever experienced.

Sydney’s office is quite crowded with three dogs at her feet and five cats to keep her company while she writes. Three cats always insist on beds on her desk, barely leaving enough room for her monitor and keyboard. Life gets fun when all five insist on supervising…

When not writing, she enjoys crafts of all sorts including quilting, sewing, cross-stitch, and knitting. She and her husband of 30 + years are avid gardeners. He takes care of the veggies, and Susan is in charge of the ‘pretties’. Her medicine wheel garden is in a contact state of war: flowers vs. weeds. Sadly, right now the weeds are wining…

While writing, she listens to a wide variety of music. Her current favorites are Blackmore’s Night and David Lanz.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Blog

Goodreads / Pinterest / Email

GIVEAWAY: 

Prize includes:
Tote Bag
Mug
4GB Flash Drive
Lighted Key tag
Once Upon A Dom Pen
What Happens at the Castle Stays at the Castle Notepad
Assorted other goodies

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for telling us about Cinderella and Prince Dom, Sydney! And for offering my readers a chance to enter your fabulous giveaway!

Please leave Sydney a comment and don't forget to enter the giveaway! Gentlemen, you can participate and give the prizes to your wife. ;)