HARD AS IT GETS is one steamy read! How
did you first get into writing?
Thanks so much! And thanks for having me here!
I’ve been a writer all my life. I’m a historian by training, so
writing non-fiction was a part of my job for the fifteen years I
worked as a college professor. But I started writing fiction in 2008
in kind of an unusual way. I hit my head on July 4, 2008. I didn’t
think much of it that day, but soon after I realized I’d really
hurt myself, and it turned out I had a minor traumatic brain injury.
As I recovered, I was filled with an amazing urge to be creative, so
I started taking guitar lessons (still not very good at that!) and
wrote my first novel in 12 weeks (fortunately, I’m better at that
LOL!). The experience of writing that first book was truly
transformative. It was what I was supposed to be doing, so I revised
that book until it sold and kept writing new ones. And I haven’t
looked back since!
Why did you choose to write romance?
I had been an avid reader of paranormal romance
for years at that point, so I wrote what I loved. But I also picked
romance—unconsciously, I think—because to me it’s an incredibly
hopeful genre. Romance stories are inherently stories about people
who can’t find love or think they don’t deserve it who overcome
the odds and find it in the end. In the years leading up to starting
writing, I experienced a number of very hard personal losses, so
writing in this genre was one way I worked through those issues.
What does “Hard Ink” refer to? What
importance do tattoos play in your story?
Hard Ink is the name of the Rixey brothers’
tattoo shop in the Hard Ink series. Nick and Jeremy Rixey are
co-owners, though Nick (the hero of book one, Hard As It Gets)
prefers to be more of a silent partner, despite Jeremy’s efforts to
put Nick’s artistic talents to work. In this series, tattoos are a
way people remember, pay penance, or highlight what’s important to
them. The act of creating permanent marks on skin has deep meaning to
them. And the shop creates a gritty setting where diverse kinds of
people meet and interact in the series. I really love it!
Describe Becca—what do you love most
about her? And Nick?
I’d love to! Because I really loved writing
these characters!
Becca Merritt is smart and strong and honest
and protective. I really loved the way she was willing to stand up
for those she loves, even against people and forces who might be
stronger and even a little scary. There’s a scene in particular
when she dresses down Nick’s Special Forces teammates after a fist
fight where I was particularly cheering for her! LOL
Nick Rixey is, omg, so freaking hot, you guys!
He’s brooding and tortured and honorable and when he falls he falls
so hard. I especially loved Nick’s mix of hard, alpha edges
with his artistic side. When Nick shows Becca what her idea for a
tattoo might look like on her skin, it’s just scorching!
What significance does the military play
in the book?
Military themes are central to the whole Hard
Ink series. The military isn’t just sexy window dressing nor is it
just there to provide an intriguing backstory. The prior SF guys are
this series are entirely defined by their military experience good
and bad. It informs their identity, their sense of honor and duty,
their view of the world, and of course gives them the skill set
required to fight the battles they face in the series. The overall
series mystery the characters are working to solve revolves around a
military conspiracy in Afghanistan, so even though they’re out of
the Army, the military themes are central.
If you could describe your book in a 140
character tweet, what would it be?
In #HardAsItGets,
an ex-soldier joins forces w/his dead commander's daughter to regain
his tarnished honor & save her brother from a gang
Is there a particular author or book that
has influenced your writing?
There are a number of authors that have
influenced me, but if I had to pick one it would be J.R. Ward. A lot
of what I know about how to write sexy, authentic male point of view
comes from reading her books. And I definitely learned the importance
of a good bromance to a romance novel from her Black Dagger
Brotherhood series, too. Given my ginormous fangirling, you can only
imagine how flipping excited I was when this happened:
“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great
read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
You guys, I bawled like a baby in the
middle of a huge workshop put on by my publisher. For real. LOL
What advice would you give aspiring
writers looking to get into the publishing industry?
Here’s my advice:
1) Write, write, write. You can’t revise what
you haven’t written and you can’t sell what you haven’t
written. And the psychological and emotional boost you’ll get from
writing “The End” for the first time cannot be overestimated.
2) Revise, revise, revise. That first time you
type “The End”? Yeah, you’re nowhere near done. Your book will
need to be edited, by you, several times before you ever put it in
front of an agent or editor. You get one shot with them, so
don’t waste it by not showing them your very best and most polished
work.
3) Find critique partners. And your mom,
siblings, and best friend do not count (unless you’re really lucky,
like me, and your best friend happens t also be a professional
author). You need other aspiring writers in your genre who will give
you honest but constructive feedback about how to improve your
manuscript. Let them catch all the embarrassing goofs and plot holes
you thought you caught before it gets to an agent or editor.
4) Want to be a professional, then act it. And
by that I mean join the professional organization(s) of the genre in
which you write. Through them you will find classes to help hone your
craft, critique partner match-ups, networking opportunities, calls
for submission, and other opportunities invaluable to breaking into
publishing.
5) Don’t give up. You will hear way more no’s
than yeses, particularly early in your writing career. Stick with it.
Believe in yourself. Give yourself one day to wallow in the rejection
and eat a bunch of chocolate and then get right back on the horse. If
your first book doesn’t sell, chalk that up to learning and write a
second.
What can fans of HARD AS IT GETS look
forward to next?
I’m currently writing four series: two
contemporary (Hard Ink, Heroes) and two paranormal (Hearts of the
Anemoi, Vampire Warrior Kings). I’ll have books from all four of
those releasing in 2014. My next release is Hard As You Can
(Hard Ink #2) coming 2/25/14!
About Hard As It Gets:
Five dishonored
soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of
Hard Ink.
Tall, dark, and
lethal...
Trouble just walked
into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy,
wholesome--pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his
military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca
is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away.
Lust has plenty to do with it too.
With her brother presumed
kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so
much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized
crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the
scars no one else sees.
Desire is the easy part. Love is as
hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge...
~ Book Trailer ~
About Laura Kaye:
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today
bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and
paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family
believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels,
ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination
with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland
with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and
appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
