All about Lavinia Lewis

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There are many things that define me and many facets to my personality, but the one word that would sum me up quite succinctly is adventurous. I love change, I love trying different things, and I love, love, love travelling to exotic places and experiencing different cultures. When I was younger (not that I think thirty five is old) I would think nothing of packing my worldly belongings into my car and moving to a different Town or City. For my next trip I'd like to travel around Texas. Go to the rodeo in Austin, sample some of the stunning beaches around Corpus Christi, stay on a houseboat on the Rio Grande and spend some time on a working ranch. And cowboys have nothing to do with my decision to visit, honest.

When it comes to jobs, I've done pretty much everything. I worked as a shop assistant during my school holidays, I've hand-painted porcelain figurines, and I've been a croupier in a casino. For a time I was an Intervention Officer in a Job Centre, I've worked in local government and I've owned my own Ladies Clothes Boutique. But the one thing that has remained constant throughout all these jobs has been my writing, and I always dreamed it would be something I could one day make a living from. Of course the great thing about writing for a living is that it's something I can do anywhere in the world, so now, whenever I hop on a plane, my trusty laptop goes with me.

How Lavinia Lewis got into Erotic Romance?

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Okay so this might seem like a stretch but I got into erotic romance through reading Stephanie Meyer's Twilight novels. Yep, you heard me correctly. Twilight. When I was a teenager I read more than my share of Mills and Boon and Silhouette Special romances, but as I got older my tastes changed and you'd be more likely to find me reading the latest Dan Brown, James Patterson or Steven King. Any type of thriller or horror in fact and I was all over it. I particularly enjoyed reading Supernatural fiction and one day I stumbled upon Twilight, back before the first film was ever made. It would be fair to say, I loved it.

The idea that supernatural beings such as Vampires and Werewolves could be the heroes and romantic leads in books was a new concept for me and so I trawled the internet to see what else was available of a similar nature. I stumbled upon the many ebook romance websites and from there the rest is pretty much history. My perusing led me to M/M romance and three and a half years later it is still my favourite genre in which to read and write.

The Scoop!

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At the moment I'm working on the next installment in the Shifters' Haven series and a new book about a Merman who wrongly believes he is the last of his kind. I love writing in the paranormal and fantasy genres but I've got a cowboy story rolling around in my head right now that I'm dying to get to as well as many others. If only there were more hours in the day.

What Lavinia Lewis likes to read...

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Wow, there are so many, I could be here all day listing them but I'll narrow it down to just a few. One of the first authors I read in the M/M romance genre was Chris Owen, and I still love her books today. J L Langley's characters are wonderful and if she produced a book a week, I'd read it. Ethan Day's books always make me laugh out loud, and I'd read the phone book if it were written by Heidi Cullinan. She uses the most beautiful prose I've ever read, perfect. Andrew Grey's books always make me cry(not that that's a bad thing) and I love to get lost in the characters and town of Cattle Valley by Carol Lynne. A few favourite books are Double Blind, Duck!, the Hunting Moon, Accompanied by a Waltz, Hot Head, On Fire, Song of Oestend and of course the With or Without series. Okay, I think I should stop there or we really will be here all day.

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INTERVIEW

The Sensible Questions:

1.How have your life experiences affected your writing?

I don't think it's possible to go through life and not have it shape my writing in some way. I've been in love, I've lost someone I love, and I've met a wealth of characters that have, and continue to inspire me. I've travelled all over the world, and I've done so many different things from Whale watching in Australia to Safari's in South Africa. I've danced on a beach under the full moon in Thailand and I've danced on the bar in a club in Mexico (let's keep that between ourselves, eh?). All of these experiences have changed my outlook on life, they have shaped the person I am today, and in doing so have shaped my writing.

2.Which of your characters is your favourite, and why?

Aaron and Cary from Aaron's Awakening, book four in my Shifters' Haven series are definitely two of my favourites. Aaron is young, naive and idealistic and desperate to find the man of his dreams. Cary, while young has been hurt terribly in the past and is terrified of giving his heart to someone again. Cary is definitely what I'd call broken and needed someone with Aaron's enthusiasm for life to help him heal. I don't think I have written two characters that are more perfect for one another, and I loved giving them the happy ending they both deserved. But with each new book I write I have a new favourite, and of course, I'll always have a soft spot for Luke, the sweet and gentle character who kick-started the series.

3.What heat level do you enjoy writing most, and why?

To be honest, the heat level in my writing changes with my mood, and depends very much on the characters I'm writing about and where they are at in the story. While I do love writing hot scenes that guarantee to get the blood pumping, I enjoy writing a more subtle love scene too, and I see nothing wrong with fade to black, if the story calls for it. When I started writing I found the sex scenes in the story the easiest part to write, the words just seemed to flow smoothly and quickly. But the more books I write, the more difficult I find those intimate scenes, I suppose it's because I don't want them to be repetitive, hence they become more of a challenge. But rest assured I'll always try to make you hot under the collar, never let it be said I'm not up for a challenge.

4.What authors have influenced you most (not necessarily in the romance genre)?

Again there are so many, and all for very different reasons. I was reading Carol Lynne's Cattle Valley series when I started writing my own M/M romance and so her books were a huge inspiration to me, and it was her praise of her publishers Total-E-Bound in the dedication of one of her books that helped me make the decision of where to send my own book when it was completed. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a huge fan of paranormal romance and some of my favourite authors that write this write for young adults. The world building by authors such as Rachel Caine, Cassandra Clare and Melissa De La Cruz is some of the best I've ever read and if we're talking about world building, we of course have to mention J K Rowling. These authors in my opinion are at the top of their craft. When I was studying for my Literature degree I read a lot of classics and so authors such as Mary Shelley, Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen have also influenced me greatly.

5.Which comes to you first when you write, the basic premise of the plot, or the characters?

I'd have to say it's a combination of the two. I've recently started using pictures to inspire my stories and I find that helps enormously. And get your minds out of the gutter, I'm not talking about pictures of naked men, I use half naked pictures sometimes too. Lol. Seriously though, now I tend to find a picture that in my mind has a clear story attached to it. I'll add a couple below to show you what I mean. The man in the picture will always be one of my lead characters, and I'll create a back story for him, dreams, desires and complications and then introduce him to someone perfect for him(even though he might not realise it at first). Usually I write the novel blurb first so that I know where I'm going with the story, and by the time I've written the first scene, the rest comes fairly easily.

6.What is the biggest lesson that you've learned since you began writing?

I did a BA(hons) Literature recently, a third of which was devoted to Creative Writing and although I learned a lot doing the course, I've learned far more about the craft of writing since my first novel was accepted for publication. The editing process has been invaluable. When I look back to my first novel Luke's Surprise I can't believe the amount of mistakes there were when I submitted it, at first all the red on the manuscript when I received it back from my editor was daunting. Head hopping, overuse of taglines, character names, the list goes on. But I've definitely learned from all those mistakes and now I feel I'm a much better writer than I was just a year ago. Writing is a craft and like all crafts you get better the more you work at it. But something that I've also been doing since that first book was published is reading and listening to the reviews. It's great to see what readers think of my stories and I've absolutely been taking on board all the constructive criticism that I've received in the hope that my future books will be even better.

7.Describe your writing space.

I write in many different places. I have a desktop computer but I very rarely use it. I much prefer to carry my laptop around and write wherever I feel more comfortable at the time. Sometimes it's at the dining room table, other times it's in a comfy armchair in the living room and usually I write in bed at night. Often I'll go out to a café or Library or hotel bar and write there. I actually find I get more writing done when I'm out of the house because I make sure I leave my dongle behind and with no internet to distract me the work gets done quicker. One thing I need when I'm writing though is absolute silence. I can't write with the television on in the background or with music playing, unless it's classical, anything else and I find myself singing along to the words instead of thinking about what I'm writing. Thais - Meditation by Massenet is something I'll play often, and this seems to help rather than hinder my creativity. Of course the challenging thing is finding somewhere suitably quiet to write when I'm out of the house.

<sub>My ideal writing location

Next on my to-do list. Go to a rodeo in Texas.</sub>

<sub>Full moon party Thailand!

This is where I grew up and the beauty continues to inspire me.</sub>

The Naughty Questions:

How many toys do you have in your toy-box? (and we don't mean Barbie dolls!)

Lol. Have you ever heard the expression, anything more than a handful is a waste? Well, I'm here to refute that turn of phrase.

What or who does your ideal man look like?

I find all different types of men attractive, be they younger, older, shorter, taller, ripped or with a few extra pounds around the middle. Eyes you could get lost in are a huge bonus, and if a man has a heart stopping smile, well, all the better. But a man's attractiveness to me depends not just on the way he looks but on his inner beauty, that might sound clichéd but a nice person is going to capture my attention far more than a nice face and body. Anyone that knows me personally would tell you I only go with guys for long hair but that's not entirely true. I do however have a soft spot for long, silky locks I can run my hands through. *Shivers* Pictures you say? Coming right up.

<sub>Yes he plays a vampire, yes he has long hair and oh boy yes is Alexander Skarsguard sexy.

Sigh. What I wouldn't do to be lost on an island with Josh Holloway.</sub>

<sub>I don't know his name, but I call him Cupid. He's inspiration for one of my current works in progress.

There's definitely a story in this picture and one I can't wait to start writing.</sub>

Are any of the sexy scenes in your books based on real life?

Lol. If only my life were as exciting as the stories in my books. That would be a no. I've yet to meet any werewolves in real life either.

What kind of clothing do you like to wear in order to feel sexy?

It depends where I'm going and what I'm doing but a sexy dress, a pair of killer heels and some nice lingerie always helps.

What kind of clothing do you think makes men look sexy?

Please see pictures three and four. I'm not sure if it's the clothes or the men wearing them that are doing it for me but for arguments sake, let's say it's the clothes.

What is the most outrageously naughty thing you've ever done?

Oh dear, is that the time? I'm afraid I'm going to have to call this interview to an end. I have books to write and pictures of half naked men to find on the internet. (Was that subtle enough? No?)

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Releases

Lavinia Lewis's Releases

Luke's Surprise

• Genre: Gay MM/ Paranormal/ Werewolf
• Rating: Total-e-Burning
• e-Book: Novel
• ISBN: 978-0-85715-528-3
• Total-E-Bound

Book one in the Shifters' Haven Series

Is true love with your soul mate worth risking your life for?

When werewolf Luke Morgan runs a simple errand with his brother Kelan, the last thing he expects to find at their neighbour's ranch is his soul mate. The incredibly sexy ranch foreman Mark Malone is every gay man's fantasy. The only problem? Neither Luke nor Mark are gay.

Unable to deny the attraction they feel for one another, they decide to try and make things work between them. The relationship at first seems all they could hope for but trouble in the guise of Ethan Walker, a werewolf who has his sights set on Luke, threatens to destroy their newfound happiness and the future they have planned together.

When Ethan's threats turn to physical violence, will they still think the mating bond and blossoming love between them is worth risking their lives for?

What the reviewers are saying

"I really liked the strong and instant connection between the two heroes... A sweet and engaging novel..." -Romance Junkies Reviews

"All I can say is wow!...The sex is uber hot...It is fantastic..." -Coffee Time Romance

Cody's Revelation

• Genre: Wereshifter/ Gay MM
• Rating: Total-e-Burning
• e-Book: Novel
• ISBN: 978-0-85715-563-4
• Total-E-Bound

What happens when a werewolf meets his mate, only to discover the man he has waited his life for already belongs to someone else?

Werewolf Cody Morgan is summoned home from New York to Texas by his elder brother and alpha Kelan, and immediately knows that visiting alpha Stefan Drake is his soul mate. However, Cody's newfound happiness is short-lived after he discovers Stefan has a wife and son. Cody's life becomes further complicated when Stefan's brother-in-law shows up and challenges Stefan's position as alpha. Are there too many obstacles to overcome or is true love worth taking a chance on?

What the reviewers are saying

"...Ms. Lewis' writing grew in leaps and bounds in this installment...I enjoyed this book as I love werewolf stories and this novella has all the tropes I have come to expect from a good paranormal romance." -Dark Divas Reviews

"Lavinia Lewis writes some seriously hot sex scenes...Recommended to anyone who likes the werewolf genre..." -Reviews by Jessewave

Kelan's Pursuit

• Genre: Gay MM/ Wereshifter/ Paranormal
• Rating: Total-e-Burning
• e-Book: Novel
• ISBN: 978-0-85715-580-1
• Total-E-Bound

When werewolf Kelan Morgan finds his mate, he couldn't be happier-until he discovers Jake's life is in danger from an unknown shifter.

While werewolf Kelan Morgan is visiting his brother in New York, he's both surprised and delighted to find his destined mate in a bar. Jake Bradfield is everything Kelan ever wanted in a mate. But Jake is not a werewolf-he's a human who was hurt in the past and has sworn off relationships.

Kelan works hard to convince Jake they have a future together, but just when his persistence is paying off, Jake is almost killed by a shifter with a grudge. If Kelan wants the happy ending he always dreamt of, he must find the elusive culprit before he attacks again.

What the reviewers are saying

"...Kelan's Pursuit also has a bit of mystery woven into it...This young shifter is sure to gain many fans..." -Literary Nymphs Reviews