Skylar Kade. Author and Princess Extraordinaire.

Today's guest is a brand new author not only to Samhain but to publishing itself, so I'm thrilled to introduce you to Skylar Kade. I went over to her website to see what I could discover about her. No shy maiden, our Skylar. How many people describe themselves as a "self-avowed hedonist" who "spends her time asking the cabana boys to bring her more mimosas and feed her strawberries while she dreams up her next kinky adventure?" Oh, right. Erotic romance writers. Well, I can only dream of the cabana boys and mimosas, although I do have the strawberries ...

So tell us, Skylar, what was the very first story you wrote about? Do you still have it?

*blushes* Yes, I still have it. It was a first-person paranormal, and while I think the concept is solid, I look back and cringe at the writing. It was chock full of detail overload, plot holes, and sloppy phrasing. At the same time, I wrote it two years ago, and am amazed by how much I have learned in that time, due greatly to the incredible members of my local RWA chapter and Passionate Ink, the online erotica chapter of RWA.

When reading, what makes you want to toss a book across the room and never read any more?

This is a tough question, because I've found a growing list of things that make me delete a book off my e-reader (yes, I've moved to e-ink, though I often wish I still had that satisfying thunk as a book hit the far wall). Despite that, I have the most trouble reading a book with purple prose. I mean, I just can't take a heroine serious after she describes his "turgid staff of manliness." Or her "secret garden of desire." I know some readers love that style, but if we're going to be talking about sex either way, gimme the nitty gritty "oh-no-she-didn't!" words.

Do you have a favorite book (someone else has written) that you keep as a 'comfort read'?

Yes! Faking It by Jennifer Crusie was the first romance I ever bought. Well, technically I talked my mother into buying it (she had no idea it was a romance), but it has been on my shelf for almost eight years and has been read so frequently its about time to buy a new copy. Its prequel, Welcome to Temptation, is in similar condition.

Do you "cast" your characters using pictures of actors or models to help inspire you when you're writing?

When I'm creating a new story, my characters are fuzzy until I do two things--find pictures of them and discover their names. I have a folder with pictures I've taken from magazines where the outfit or the expression on the model's face stood out to me, and I often find inspiration there. But while the pictures are important, it is really the latter that enables me to flesh out the characters. I believe names hold a great deal of power, and in giving one to a character, you bring them to life.

What did you do when you got "the email" telling you Samhain had bought Maison Domine? How did you celebrate?

I thought it was a rejection when I saw it in my inbox. When I opened it and it was my editor, Laurie, offering her congratulations, I had a moment where I thought it was a joke. But just a moment--then I was squealing like a schoolgirl and scaring the ever-loving daylights out of my dogs. I called my critique partners and then my parents to share the news. While they were all excited, I'm not sure the parental units quite know how to congratulate a daughter who writes about sex for a living.

One strange writing ritual I have is .... plotting out my stories in an oversized sketchpad using markers. Yes, the ones we were given in elementary school to scribble with.

I love listening to .... Chris Young.

(Leah here ... I'd not heard of Chris Young before, so I did a little Googling. What a niiiice looking man - I foresee a cowboy showing up in one of my stories soon. I would have put in a video from YouTube, but the best ones have embedding disabled)



My worst habit is ... compulsively checking my e-mail.

(Leah here - I think I'm busted on that one too. But, um, in my defence, I'm betting most of us have that compunction.)

My favorite movie is ... WALL-E, because it was not only the sweetest love story, but made me think about the state of our environment and the effect of technology on human society, all while being a movie perfectly suitable for itty bitties.

Where can we find more information about you? Why that's simple - Skylar's website: www.skylarkade.com (Thanks to Karen and Booklover pointing out that they can't get into Skylar's website - while it works for me in Firefox, I can't get past the splash page in IE8 ... this is a link to the front page but apparently the menus aren't available either. Here are the individual links: Books, News and Updates, Links, and About Skylar. I'll let her know that there's an issue with the browsers ...

(Or we can stalk her on Twitter: @skylarkade )

And thanks to Booklover1335 for pointing out I hadn't included a blurb of Skylar's Maison Domine:

Organic chemist Dr. Lara Brunner needs a reality check. When her health falls victim to an overwhelming schedule, she decides drastic measures must be taken. After weeks of dreams--erotic dreams invaded by whips and chains--Lara reluctantly visits a BDSM resort for two days of submissive exploration. For a control-freak like Dr. Brunner, submission is a daunting task. While she hoped to leave the resort refreshed and wet-dream-free, Lara never imagined she would spend her time falling for a completely unattainable man.

Bestselling novelist Jaxon Greene is an expert Dominant who never wants more than a weekend fling – until he meets Lara. Growing bored and disillusioned with weak-willed submissives, Jax finds himself entranced by the feisty chemist. Unlike most women he’s trained, Lara has a fiery independence that truly challenges the Dominant in him. He can tame her body with ease – but can he ensnare her heart?

***

Since Skylar's book isn't out, I'm going to be offering up the contest prize today - winner's choice of any e-book from Samhain Publishing.

Oh, and Skylar's one of those lucky ducks at the RWA conference in DC this week, so she'll try to pop in during the day, but the internet at the hotel isn't easily available. (Can you imagine a conference booking a hotel that doesn't have WiFi?)