Who’s in the Hot Seat? Author Dahlia Rose

Born on the island of Barbados, this island girl now North Carolina transplant by way of New York has turned what began as a labor of love and a means to stay in touch with her fiance into a veritable cottage industry of more than five dozen, yes I said five dozen best-selling books in a few short years!

How does she do it, you ask? 

Although Ms. Rose writes primarily contemporary erotic romance, she counts several authors outside of this genre as her biggest influence. 

“I write romance, but my favorite genre is mystery and suspense. I am an eteranl fan of Kay Hoopers Bishop series where the FBI profilers have metal gifts like mind readers and telepaths to help them find serial killers.  I’m also a fan of Nora Roberts and JD Robb, Dean R Koontz and the amazing Stephen King. Edgar Allen Poe is a set of classic works I will re read and my all time favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird.  I think they all influence my work depending on what I’m writing.”

There’s also something else that influences Ms. Rose’s work. Hailing from the beautiful island of Barbados, she she sites her upbringing outside of the states has shaped her stories as well.  “I’ve set books in a lot of Caribbean islands because of my experiences growing up there. The smells are exotic, the life is a slower pace. I also like to put my heroes outside their elements in new places where they can adapt and still get acquianted with the heroine. I think the different settings give my books a uniqueness.  Since I lived there, I try to give each smell and taste of the islands life in my book to the readers and hope they can see it through my writing.”

“I think that’s why Paradise Found is my favorite book, I took it back to Barbados for the final scenes, where the hero and heroine got to gether and incorporated my island home into it and I loved writing each word. I was able to speak of my brothers and family and take them to places that I remebered as a child. They swam and made love in the sea and in the last scene he saved her. It makes me sigh just thinking about it.”

Well as a fan of Ms. Rose’s works, I can say that the setting of her books is one of the reasons I keep coming back for more.  Well, that and the hotness between the pages and the development of the relationship between two people of different backgrounds.  

When asked what inspired her pen her first erotic interracial romance, Love and Lights apublished by Amira Press, Ms. Rose responded simply, “My husband is caucasion and three of my children are of mixed race. I know the upside and the downsides. I can relate to the stares and the stigma and the looks that can be involved with being a mixed race couple.  I also know the love and the passion of it and I firmly belive that no matter what color a person’s skin is. When you meet the right one you just know and you should fight for  the love you found.”

“Plus, more minds are open to the aspect of love crossing genger and races. The sense of it being taboo is beginning to fade. My relationship is what I write for everyday. I want my children to see no matter if someone said it was wrong mom and dad loved each other to brave any adversity.  It’s a way of life now so that makes me happy.” 

In the industry for more than six years, Ms. Rose is definitely a veteran, so I asked about her experiences so far.  “I especially love the way authors band together and help each other. I built my career saying that if I got to a certain level  and I can help an aspiring author with questions I will always do so. So far, I’ve been able to keep my promise and I haven’t let it change me.  I’ve seen it change a few people and then the diva comes out, but all in all like any workplace you know who to deal with and those to keep at a safe distance. You know which publishers will do right by you and which to avoid. And if you get stuck there will be someone you can turn to for advice.”

My oh, my it's raining men!

Ms. Rose went the traditional route into publishing, but she’s since created her own publishing house, Dahlia Rose Unscripted. When asked why she decided to start self-publishing, Ms. rose said, “Self publishing came about from a combination of things. First it was a personal choice because sometimes I have shorts that I want my readers to have and most publishers have a word count limit on how much they will accept.”

“Secondly, I am never short of ideas. I’m always writing in my head. I tend to experiment with my plots and some of my these may not be suitbale for publishers, so I self publish them. I don’t have to rein myself in and I can express my writing how I want to when I self publish. I really didn’t expect it to take off like it did. But next year, I’ll be putting out longer length novellas for my readers via this route as well.”

I’m certaintly glad, Ms. Rose doesn’t have any plans on stopping anytime soon.  I just love her heroes especially those featured in her bestselling Calendar Men series.  So of course, I wondered how she came up with the idea that has taken a piece of my paycheck every month. 

“The Calendar Men series came about from that old song ‘I love my Calendar Girls.’ I thought to myself why can’t there be sone hot buff men on my calendar and why can’t I write about them? So, the series of shorts were born. Come to think of it there are more than twelves because there is some menage thrown through those titles, but no one has complained. (I sure haven’t!)

“I have another series coming out in 2012 under Dahlia Rose Unscripted.  The Renegade Series and MY Daddy is A hero series. The latter is a favorite of mine since it will deal with single fathers in the military.”

Single dads in the military?  I might as well give Ms. Rose my debit card number:/

Besides penning series, Ms. Rose has written stand alone books in practically every sub-genre from contemporary and paranormal to historical and western.  When asked which sub genre she preferred, Ms. Rose said, “As an author, I try to not box myself in.  I write wherever my imagination takes me regardless of the genre. I just make sure that if it’s a topic that I don’t know very well, I do my research before I attempt the challenge. Luckily my brain is like a sponge and I am a voracious reader and a lot of different topics interest me. I’m still learning about the Steam Punk, and I have a Sci-Fi IR on my To-Do list for 2012.”

Despite being a prolific author, Ms. Rose confessed that she’s notoriously bad at keeping deadlines.  “So I start ahead of schedule on any piece in my list. I am not a plotter, it never works out.  My characters want to do as they please and while I may have them going to Italy for a fabulous weekend in my notes. They will end up in China doing something different. So like a good dance partner, I let them lead and I follow. The ideas are all pre-planned though, since I usually have next year’s list up by December on my board in my writing cave.  And when I start a new book it can take anywhere between three to five weeks to complete. Unless I get one of those amazing writing jags where it’s all 8K days.”

Speaking of characters, Ms. Rose’s heroes are deliciously all male.  But I also noticed an endearing trend of her heroes either being veterans or active military.  “A strong alpha male is a vice of mine and If you’ve ver seen a man in uniform you know why they are my heroes of choice. That and my own Husband spent most of his life in the military. When he came home from Iraq I met a lot of his friends and I went to the VA centers with him and Fort Bragg.”

“I’ve talked to a lot of everyday heroes who went out to serve their country and ended up with wives who left them, children they couldn’t see and lives that were torn apart. I talk to a lot of heroes who were wounded mentally and emotionally . I wanted to give them a happy ending in my books. I’m an advocate of the military, part of the Adopt A Hero Program and I volunteer at the VA. All because I saw what my husabd went thorugh, the nightmares and the loss of friends. I made the vow to do right by them and bring light to what amazing things they’ye done for us. So,my books reflect my personal heroes and the readers have fallen in love with them too.”

I'll take a beast if it looks like him!

Not to be outdone, her female characters are really strong as well in that they essentially don’t need the hero to complete them.  Wondering if this was a deliberate choice, I asked Ms. Rose how she develops her feminine leads. 

“I was a single mom of four and I had to time to wallow in self pity about life when kids needed to be fed and clothed. I was and still am a very strong woman, who found a great love to lean on when I need to. Its always amazing to have someone to catch you if you fall, but I want my heroines to be able to stand on their own feet if and when the time comes to make a hard choice they can.  One of my favorite things to say is, ‘Catch me when I fall and I’ll catch you.’ I think a relationship is 50/50.  My heroes  depend on the heroine as well when the chips are down.”

It sometimes takes me weeks to grind out a sex scene. So, I was wondering what side of the fence Ms. Rose sat on.  Does she like writing sex scenes or does she grit her teeth and bear it?  

“I like my sex scenes. I actually relish them because of the sexual tension I’ve built up between my characters. I need the release as well (Laugh). To get me in the mood, I would say its music and I go to that special place in my head where I keep all my naughty experiences locked up.  I find after the sex scene is over that the flow to the rest of the scenes after come much easier. I can feel the intimate connection between the hero and heroine and I can build on that. So I’m usually saying.. “Yeah bring on the sex!”

If you’re wondering when Ms. Rose’s next book will be coming out, you’re in luck because she just released two novellas just last week! 

“Forever Yours is a military Christmas themed story coming with Amira Press on December 16^th. The heroine is not actually so strong as the others because she was in an abusive relationship, so its a departure for me from my other books. BUT my hero who is of course a soldier has been in love with her since high school.

“Sleigh Bells and Rings  was released on December 17^th.  It’s also a military-themed romance and it’s the second part of Toy Soldier where Major Dave Scott finds his love. This one is a bit emotional as well because he’s a part of the Bomb Disposal unit in Afghanistan and watched a rookie die on his watch. So, while falling in love, he has to deal with those issues as well.”

Now time for the fun part: The Fast Five!  Where I ask five fun questions that delve a little deeper into who Dahlia Rose really is…

People just released their sexiest man alive, Bradley Cooper. If you were in charge of the voting who would you have chosen?  I’ll have to stick with Bradely Cooper, but Jason Mamoa should have been on the list sharing the honor. Lord that man is fine!! (I agree)

Chocolate, Vanilla or Swirl of both? Swirl of Both

Lights on or off? Definitely on, I want to see everything. LOL

Kindle or paperback? Both!! I still love the smell of a book

Last book you read? Seduction in Death by JD Robb.  I’m trying to finish that 44 book series.

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Sleigh Bells and Rings

Sugar & Spice Press

Official Blurb:

Dave Scott had been run through the ringer. His last tour in Afghanistan in the bomb removal unit had left him raw and bare, especially losing one of his friends to an IED. He didn’t want to think about Christmas or friends and couldn’t go to visit Caine and Danika and pretend to be the happy-go-lucky guy they expected him to be.

The holiday spirit was something he didn’t want to fake, so he decided to spend Christmas is a cabin alone. As soon as he got off the plane, he rented a truck and headed into the mountains of North Carolina. But his best laid plans fell short when a snowstorm sent his car off the side of the road with no help in sight. His saving grace came in the form of a Christmas horse-drawn sleigh with bells that jingled and a woman dressed in white down to the thick fur hoodie she had on.

Sophia Martin was a breath of fresh cold air who brought the holiday spirit in droves. Instead of his cabin he was stuck spending Christmas in Merry, North Carolina where the holidays reached a whole new level. Yet instead of being upset, he found Sophia intoxicating. Their first kiss made him burn from the inside out, and Dave never knew an aching need existed in the way he wanted her.

Merry, North Carolina boasted the holidays like he never knew possible, but it was Sophia that captured his attention. The only question was could he leave Sophia after the holidays were over, and did he really want to?

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To buy Sleigh Bells and Rings visit Sugar and Spice Press, Amazon, or All Romance Ebooks.

To buy Forever Yours visit Amira Press, Amazon, or All Romance eBooks.

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For more on Dahlia Rose and her books visit her website: www.authordahliarose.com!