I believe that every writer has an opus, and Addicted is mine. For as long as I can remember, I have been lured by the dark side in me. I've always been fascinated by the submersive, and as a consequence, I always wanted to write about the mysterious, and exotic opium dens that littered London in the 1800's.
On a whim, and after a good solid push by my cp (Kristina) I decided to write the book of my heart. The thing with writing the 'book of your heart' is that it can cause you a tremendous deal of angst and fear. Will it sell? Will I get an agent with it? Will readers want to read it? Will readers like him? Will I be trashed for writing such a book?
When one writes such a book, the first and foremost rule is that one cannot be afraid of the book. It is made that much easier when the editor involved sees your vision and supports it. I was most lucky when my editor, Susan Swinwood emailed me to say, 'please bring the opium use to the forefront. Show readers just how messed up Lindsay really is'. That email was most freeing as a writer. The further edits were liberating, and really allowed me to write not only the book, but Lindsay as I saw him.
Lindsay is, the most complicated, and complex character I have written to date. Upon reflection, it is not the opium use that makes him thus (although that's a significant part) but because he is, well...human. He is beautiful and sensual, and sexy as anything, but he is also at times stubborn, short sighted, easily tempered and self-righteous. Everyone is wrong, and he is right. Everyone is against him, and he is alone in the world. In essence, he is everything that we ourselves have been at times in our lives. This made him most difficult to write as a romance hero. And Addicted is a romance. Yes, it is erotic, and the characters are not something you'll find in mainstream romance, but their story is, first and foremost a romance, as well as a journey in betrayal, loss, growth and love.
In my writing, I have grinned, chuckled, laughed, become aroused by characters and situations. I have never cried-- until Addicted. There are three separate places where I balled like the proverbial baby. This sense of emotion really stretched my writing skills. While blubbering like a watering pot, I visualized him so clearly, and felt his and Anais' pain so acutely.
I always saw Lindsay very clearly. And like my LIT ladies, I like to have visual inspiration for my characters. In Eric Bana, I saw Lindsay. The curly hair, the mainly physique, the brooding, the mysteriousness, the ability to laugh. In essence, complex, manly, sexy. Lindsay's hair is darker, his eyes green, but the rest of him is very much like the pictures in this post. (I hope the visuals don't disappoint!)
Addicted is now shipping from Barnes and Noble and Amazon. I'm so excited about this release and hope readers fall as much in love with Lindsay as I did.
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