Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Author Interview w/ Robin Leigh Miller + Giveway!

Meet Robin: 
Robin Leigh Miller is the author of paranormal, action adventure, contemporary romance.
A retired dirt track race car driver and adrenaline junky she now enjoys putting her characters through their paces. Strong willed, kick ass women can be found in every story she pens. Twists, turns and the bizzare fill every page. Enter a world where anything can happen.... and usually does describes her plots to a T. One never knows what they may find between the pages of her books.


When she was sixteen years old she slid into the seat of her first dirt stock car and remained there for the next six years. The only female to compete against a field of men she learned what being strong willed meant. Many believed she didn't belong, others welcomed her with smiles and friendly advice.


And then there was the one that simply watched from a distance with a mysterious smile, shy glances and a gentle manner. Five years passed with nothing more than simple, quick conversation. Through those five years she went from driving stock cars to micro sprints (over sized go-carts with wings on the top) dune buggy's and even a short time in Late Models (wedge shaped cars).


One very icy cold day this mysterious man showed up at a track to watch her race her micro sprint. The racing god's were not smiling on her that day. An equipment failure resulted in third and fourth degree burns on her left arm. Didn't this dark haired, sexy smiling driver follow her to the emergency room. From that day she knew this man was the one for her.


Now she helps her husband with their bussiness. Building race motors for other drivers.


Throughout the years Robin has inserted herself in a man's world and survived. Now she shares some of that moxy with her characters. You never know when some of her personal experiences will show up in her stories. (Taken straight off of the Author's Bio Page).






Books by Robin (links to Amazon):




Where to find Robin:
Author Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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TBQ: Let us start with the basics: Who is Robin Leigh Miller? Tell us something about you that is not commonly known—no copying and pasting from your bio, please.




Robin: Who is Robin? Well, I’m a chaotic mess to be blunt. I’m not very organized, fall behind with things easily and I love a good time! I tried for the organized thing and it blew up in my face, so I went back to the way that works for me. I’m more tom-boy than glamour, always have been. I’d rather crawl behind the wheel of a racecar than go shopping. You can find me, especially this time of year, up to my elbows in grease at our business tearing race motors apart or doing machine work. I’m surrounded by men all the time because of our line of work, so basically I know more of the male species than the female.



Here’s something you may find odd for a writer of erotic romance. I hate chick flicks. Won’t watch ‘em. I prefer a good spook movie or action film. Why you ask? Well, because I’ve found reading romance is more fulfilling than watching it on the screen. I like being able to get inside the characters heads and feeling what they feel, not watching it. Make sense? Needless to say my two teenage boys find this awesome. My ten year old daughter, well she’s a combination of me and your basic girl. She likes spook movies, loves working on our race cars and is dirty most of the time. But, she also likes to dress up, wear pretty jewelry and has more shoes then I’ve ever owned. I simply don’t know what happened to her. J


That’s a quick overview of the mess that is Robin Leigh Miller. What it all boils down too, I love my life, who I am and won’t ever change.






TBQ: What made you decide to become a writer? What made you wish to write erotica in particular?




Robin: You know, I can’t put my finger on any one single instance or “thing” that made me want to try my hand at writing. I’m and avid reader and one day I thought about putting my own story together. After a month of researching “how to write” I sat down and began to type. Six months later and a lot of late nights, Black Smoke was born. After I finished it, I didn’t know what to do with it, so I went back to my research and learned how to write a query letter and synopsis. Then, I looked for publishers to submit to. I got lucky. Ellora’s Cave picked Smoke up and published it under the then Cerridwen Press line. (Now Blush)



As for erotica, well I surrounded myself with top selling authors of erotica, read, studied the way they wrote their stories and discovered it isn’t that much different. The sex scenes are hotter and the language more explicit, but you still needed a strong story line. I thought, I can do that, so I did. It doesn’t hurt that I love erotica either.  



TBQ: By now my review for Spliced (in which I rave about how amazing it is!) has went live, so many of my followers already know how much I love it! But for those that may not be familiar with the book yet, or want to know more, can you tell us a little about Spliced? In other words, why will my readers love it?




Robin: Take two people who want each other but don’t know it, bring them together with a tragedy, toss in a bit of the bizarre, stir in a killer and you have Spliced. These two people, Avery and Ridge, belong together but have been dancing around the obvious for ten years despite the efforts of Avery’s twin Cale. When Cale dies, Avery’s twin connection to her brother transfers to Ridge, letting her feel his anxiety attacks and experience his nightmares.



Avery now has to deal with the loss of her brother and figuring out a way to tell Ridge no matter how much he wants to stay away from her, she’ll always be there inside his head. As if that’s not enough, Cale’s secret military life has followed his body home putting Avery’s life in jeopardy. Ridge made a promise to his best friend that he’d take care of Avery. Unsure how to keep that promise without losing his heart, Ridge struggles to do the best he can.


This story takes you through Ridge and Avery’s heartache over the loss of Cale. How they depend on each other for the comfort they desperately need while taking those first steps toward a relationship all while trying to figure out who’s causing trouble for Avery. Feel Ridge’s anger over having his head invaded and Avery’s guilt for being there. Struggle along with them as deny the obvious and only realize what they have when the end is near.


My hope is by the time readers finish Spliced, they consider Avery and Ridge personal friends.  (You definitely succeeded; I feel very close to Avery and Ridge! And may I say--I just now noticed that I spelled Avery's name with an 'a' during every part of my review. I'm so sorry, stupid spell check is more of a pain than a helper! I have updated it now, though I still need to do so on the other sites where I posted it...)






TBQ: Even now, almost a month after finishing it, I can't believe how emotionally charged Spliced is! You did a wonderful job at bringing emotion and connection to the story and characters! Was this book more difficult to write because of this? What were some of your thoughts about it while you were writing it?




Robin: Thank you so much for your compliments. Yes, this story was difficult, but only because I never seemed satisfied with how I conveyed the strong emotions. Take for example the grave yard scene. It took me about two months of writing and rewriting before I finally hung my head and said, “I’ve done the best I can,” and still I had my doubts.



I struggled with making sure Ridge didn’t become a complete jack-ass to readers as well. Combining his deep love for Avery and his total lack of respect and confidence in himself was like walking a thin wire. I wanted readers to experience Ridge’s trauma, but also see those qualities that drew Avery to him. Balancing the two without him looking like a jerk, difficult to say the least. Many, many rewrites before I felt comfortable with that.


The same goes for Avery. She had to understand his difficulty in dealing with their mental connection without flying off the handle, yet stand up to him. In real life two stubborn wills can and do clash until they find that common ground they can both stand on and see eye to eye. Sometimes the solution is simple, but hard to see. 




 
TBQ: Besides being an emotional roller-coaster, Spliced is very steamy, very sexy. After writing so many books, how do you keep the romance fresh? Do you find it at all difficult to come up with new twists for the love scenes? (I'm not complaining; in fact, I think you did a wonderful job, and let me tell you, the scene in the changing room...OH. MY. GOD. So hot! I wish I had the guts to do it...and my own Ridge to do it with, of course...*wink*)




 
Robin: I must have a very twisted mind because I can see a situation, either in real life or on TV and figure out a way to make it hot, or hotter. Any moment can be turned into an erotic, steamy event if you’re open-minded enough and willing. Think about that the next time you go shopping, or your cooking. What would it take from your man to get the juices flowing? That’s how I think.






TBQ: As much as I would love to continue badgering you about Spliced, I know you have some other great books out, so let's switch gears for a minute. What can you tell my readers about the other books you've written over the years?




Robin: My very first book Black Smoke is about a female mercenary, Samantha Cannon (Sam). She works for her uncle traveling abroad to defuse situations the government wants taken care of without any link to them. Sounds simple enough, right? Not in my books. Sam has an ace in the hole. Her spirit guide. The guide helps her on her missions, not by way of any super powers, but by feeding her information. She’s asked to do a mission in Afghanistan with three military men, Kong, Boomer and Ricochet. Kong, the leader of the trio, doesn’t trust her. She needs to win his trust and his approval if she’s going to survive her deadliest mission yet.


Two books follow that: Boomer’s Fall and Ricochet’s Rogue in the Agents of Mercy series.


I also have a thriller entitled Running Blind. Jessica Crist is a psychic hunting a serial killer, but when the hunter becomes the hunted she runs for her life and literally crashes into a man who’s vowed never to get involved in anyone’s life again. Taking care of her could cost him his life.


Force of Nature is about Markey Post, a unique woman with the gift of manipulating the wind. When her anger unleashes, all hell breaks loose. Trip Lindaur is sent to find this remarkable woman and bring her to an upstanding doctor who promises to help Markey bring her powers under control. The good doctor has no intention of doing anything but dissecting her like a lab rat. It’s up to Trip to keep Markey from being killed.






Soulless: Alone and on the run from the law, Quinn Hurst does her best to fulfill her family’s legacy of slaying Tulpas—thought forms, soulless beings created by humans.


Her self-imposed exile is interrupted when she runs into a handsome Tulpa slayer who sparks a deep need she can’t deny. Sexy Garen Snyder makes her blood boil and her body ache for his touch. Discovering they shared a past-life love affair only fuels the fire that rages when they come together.


Fate is determined to separate them once again. A bloodthirsty demon wants Quinn for himself and will stop at nothing to possess her, but Garen already possesses her, body and soul, and will fight to save her. The demonic struggle is easy compared to the battle he must wage against Quinn’s past. Using his only weapons—his love and his body—Garen makes one last attempt to keep her forever.




I have a few shorts out as well. Marauder, Less Talk, More Action, Eternal Flame, Earth’s Demon, Tempest’s Gift. They can all be found on my website




TBQ: You recently signed on for a new line that Ellora's Cave is offering (EC For Men), which are erotic stories told from the hero's point of view. Your book for this is Less Talk More Action (sounds like a fitting title for this kind of genre, by the way!) Tell us a little bit about it. Was it difficult writing this story, as it is not a traditional romance (or erotic) tale in any way?





Robin: I had a blast writing Less Talk, More Action. Fun, fun, fun! It’s scary how easy it was for me to write this short. This line is geared towards men’s fantasies so to speak. LTMA is about an everyday man who comes home to find some hot girl-on-girl action happening on the patio next door. He watches, because what man wouldn’t, and grabs himself some personal gratification in the process. He counts himself lucky as hell and tries to put it out of his mind.


The next day the sexy little vixen who stared in his fantasy come true approaches him as he’s mowing his lawn. Next thing he knows he’s staring in yet another male fantasy.


Oh, I do hope this line takes off with a bang!




TBQ: Do you plan on writing more books like LTMA ?




Robin: Absolutely! Only there’s a catch. I will continue writing for this line under a pen name. Robby Mills. Due to the graphic nature and the tweaks the publisher is making, I felt it necessary. I have three children I need to think about and considering the very religious area I live in, I don’t want any back lash on my kids. So far the parents of my children’s friends haven’t made any waves, but no need to tempt fate.  I have a second story at the editor right now, so watch my web site and I’ll be directing readers to the blog for Robby Mills where you can find out about the new releases. (I can understand why; I'm glad to know that you won't stop what you love doing because of the judgemental, and often harsh, words of others. :) )






TBQ: I know I'm not the only fan of Spliced who is wondering this: Will Officer Stone get his own story someday? (Okay, so I couldn't switch gears from Spliced completely... :D )






Robin: Yes! He will. I’m working on it now. I hadn’t planned on a second story, but the overwhelming response can’t be ignored. (Yeah!)






TBQ: What do you have planned for your readers in the future? Can you tell us about upcoming releases, book ideas you have in the works—anything to tide us over until we can get our next fix?! :)






Robin: Other than the men’s line short, I have nothing ready for publication, yet. I’m concentrating on Stone’s story, but I do have another in the works. A shifter story. Watch my website or blog because as soon as I have dates, I announce them. (Ooh, shifters! Yep, definite fan for life now, Robin!)


TBQ: Thank you so much for stopping by, Robin, and please know that you are always welcome here! :D Before we leave, do you have a question (or two) you wish to ask the readers? Their answer can help them to gain an entry into the Spliced contest...




Robin: (rubs hand together) This is fun! Okay, if you could have any man in the world for one hot, kinky weekend, who would it be and why?







Second, here’s a question I’d like some feedback on for a possible future story. Do you find “geeks” or “nerds” sexy and why or why not?






This has been so much fun. Thank you for the all the Spliced love. It means a great deal to me! :) You are very welcome!

 

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GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER--THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Thanks to Robin, one lucky reader will win a copy of Spliced!


How to Enter:

Mandatory: You MUST fill out the rafflecopter's first option (Following this blog). Sign in using your name and email, please!

All other entries on the rafflecopter checklist are optional.

For an added entry, answer both of Robin's questions--show some love as well and ask Robin a question or two of your own! Robin will be around most of today and tomorrow to answer any question, so ask away!


Giveaway will end on 2/5/12! Winner will be choosen within a day and announced on Tuesday. Good Luck!















a Rafflecopter giveaway












Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Robin's guest post! And another chance at entering the giveaway, if you are interested...








Enjoy!






Until Next Time,
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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

7 comments :

Shay Hardman said...

Congrats on the Interview!!!

Robin Leigh Miller said...

Hey Shay! Thanks for stopping by!

The_Book_Queen said...

It seems to be a slow morning so far--hope it picks up though! :D

I'll play along until then, and help to answer your questions:

Geeky/Nerdy men can be sexy. :) Not all of us are the athletic type, so an occasional acadmeic hero is always nice! :D

As to who I'd pick for a weekend...Lately I've had this thing for Sam Worthington (Watching Avatar so much, it's kind of hard not to!). Love his accent, too!

Enjoy,
TBQ

elaing8 said...

Great interview.Robin is a new author to me.

For a hot weekend I'd want Taylor Kitsch.He is so hotttt!! :) Need I say more..lol.

The_Book_Queen said...

Hi elaing8! Thanks for stopping by. :D

I wasn't familiar with the name at first, but after one google search, I knew who he was--Gambit from X-Men Origins. :)

And no, you don't need to say more. His looks speak for themselves..Okay, I might trade in Sam for Taylor! LOL.

Enjoy!
TBQ

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

congrats for the interview robin,,,i never read your book

for a hot weekend i want paul marron he is so sexy,,,he is my fav male..^^