I'm excited to be participating in my first week long Release Party! Seven great days, each with a different post and a different giveaway !! I hope you'll join us each day for something new on Sarah Castille's Against the Ropes .
Against the Ropes
by : Sarah Castille
Publication : Sept. 3, 2013
ISBN: 1402284853
ASIN: B00DDWIT3M
Length: 368 pages
Genre : Contemporary Romance, erotica
Blurb :
He scared me. He thrilled me. And after one touch, all I could think about was getting more...
Makayla never thought she'd set foot in an underground mixed-martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it's these guys. Trouble is, at her first sight of the club's owner she's the one feeling breathless.
The man they call Torment is all sleep muscle and restrained power. Whether it's in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when a soft touch is required and when to launch a full-on assault. He always knows just how far he can push. And he's about to tempt Makayla in ways she never imagined.
Buy it : Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Today's stop is a Guest Post by the author telling us about the inspiration to write Against the Ropes.
That
day when you get lost in your own city and try to navigate your way home using
a GPS purchased five years prior in a foreign country.
Yes, that was the day I was inspired to write
Against the Ropes. And no, it wasn’t because I was overwhelmed with the urge to
pummel Claire (pronounced ‘cleh’), the English-accented denizen of the GPS,
who, instead of showing me the way home, charted a path from a garbage strewn
alley in a nameless Canadian city to London, England…across the Pacific Ocean.
That said, I am no longer troubled the directionally
impaired “cleh.” But that is a story for another day (PG-13 Contains Violence).
The fateful day, after choosing to forgo the
opportunity to test the structural integrity of my vehicle on an ocean voyage,
and having forgotten to charge my phone, as you do when planning to get lost, I
drove aimlessly through the streets until I found myself in a commercial
district at the far edge of the city. Despite the late hour, lights shone
through the windows of one of the many unremarkable, shoebox-shaped buildings
that littered the area. Low on fuel, Diet Coke and gummy bears, I pulled into
the dimly-lit parking lot and pulled out my bear spray.
In Canada, one never knows when one might meet a
bear.
Heart pounding, I made way to a black metal door
with the letters MMA spray painted on the front. Then, pulse racing, bear spray
in hand, I tugged on the door handle.
Oh, the suspense.
I found myself in a large reception area. There may
have been carpet on the floor. It may have been green. It could be there were
chalkboards on one wall and MMA event posters on the other. The cloying stench
of stale sweat may have almost knocked me off my feet. If I was writing a book,
I would give you the details—color, texture, scent, even taste. Unfortunately,
all I can remember are glistening pecs, hard abs, taut bottoms (as “cleh” would say) in tight shorts and the biggest
collection of man candy I had ever seen. I do remember licking my lips and they
tasted sah weet.
“Um…hi.” I spoke with the eloquence of an author who
has mastered dialogue technique and the thin voice of a fourteen-year-old in
the presence of her middle school crush.
Six shaved heads jerked up. Six tatted and ripped bodies
turned in my direction. Twelve eyes (most in pairs) studied me from beneath the
fringes of lashes.
“You here to fight?” The man with the eye patch
snickered.
You
keep snickering and you’ll get a fight, I wished I’d said. In
fact, I answered with a cowardly, “Um…no.”
“You lookin’ for your man?” Baby Blue Eyes with the
lickable chest gave me a wink and I almost keeled over.
I’m
lookin’ for a man and you’ll do just fine, sugar,” I didn’t say. Instead, I shook my head and gave
a pathetic sigh.
“I’m lost.”
And just like that, I was sucked into the vortex of
a protective alpha-male testosterone frenzy.
Woman.
Alone. Lost. Dark. Needs. Help. Can’t. Resist. Must. Protect. Save. Woman.
Questions were fired at me like bullets. How did I
get to the gym? Was my car working? Did I have gas? Why didn’t I charge my
phone before I left the house? Why didn’t I fuel up before I started my
journey? Why didn’t I have an updated Canadian GPS? Why did I have wires
hanging out of my purse? Was I single?
Who
said that?
Maps were drawn, fuel was siphoned, vending machines
were raided, a phone charger was procured. While I waited for my phone to show
the necessary two bars of power that had been deemed a requirement for my
release, I was treated (and I do mean treated)
to a tour of what I then knew to be an MMA gym and training facility.
Yes,
there is a Santa Claus.
For the next hour, I watched sweaty, muscular men
roll around on the floor, trade punches in the ring, and throw spinning back
kicks across the mats. Baby Blue Eyes explained the basics of MMA fighting, the
different martial arts and fighting skills involved, and the sheer athleticism
necessary for a fighter to hold his own in the ring.
By the time my phone was charged, I had a story in
my head. It was about a naïve, slightly awkward girl (hmmm) who found herself in an MMA club, and the fighter who
wouldn’t let her go.
Finally, it was time to leave. Baby Blue Eyes walked
me to my car. Then he asked for my number. But that’s another story (Rated R)
Recovering lawyer, karate practitioner, and caffeine addict, Sarah Castille worked and traveled abroad before trading her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and a home near the Canadian Rockies. Her steamy, contemporary romantic tales feature blazingly hot alpha heros and the women who tame them.
Stalk her :
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon
Participating Blogs
deal sharing aunt
Harlie's Books
Regina May Ross's
Read Our Lips! Book Review Blog
Erzabet's Enchantments
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Stitch Read Cook
Simply Ali
Tattooed Book Review
RomFan Reviews
Reviewing in Chaos
My Life Beyond Labels
A Little Fiction of Every Flavour
Musings From An Addicted Reader
Books Books and More Books
StoreyBook Reviews
Jelena's Book Blog
Scorching Book Reviews
Tiffany Talks Books
Michelle Graham, Erotic Romance
What's On the Bookshelf
Dear Brighton
Blackraven's Erotic Cafe
Blackraven's Reviews
AJ's Reading Nook
The Readers Roundtable
HEA Romances witha Little Kick
The SubClub Books
Harlie's Books
Regina May Ross's
Read Our Lips! Book Review Blog
Erzabet's Enchantments
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Stitch Read Cook
Simply Ali
Tattooed Book Review
RomFan Reviews
Reviewing in Chaos
My Life Beyond Labels
A Little Fiction of Every Flavour
Musings From An Addicted Reader
Books Books and More Books
StoreyBook Reviews
Jelena's Book Blog
Scorching Book Reviews
Tiffany Talks Books
Michelle Graham, Erotic Romance
What's On the Bookshelf
Dear Brighton
Blackraven's Erotic Cafe
Blackraven's Reviews
AJ's Reading Nook
The Readers Roundtable
HEA Romances witha Little Kick
The SubClub Books
Ok, I need directions to this place so I can "get lost" and end up there too :) Nice to get some great ideas for a story though!
ReplyDelete