I am delighted to be speaking with Cassidy Kent today. Thanks for chatting with us Cassidy and welcome to FAR!

To start, will you please tell us a little bit about your current release Santa’s Helper?

Santa's Helper tells the story of a nine-year old boy, Kyle, who writes a letter to Santa. He doesn't ask for presents for himself, but rather for a date for his widowed mother, Maura. Doing his part to spread holiday cheer, a CEO named Noel decides to answer letters to Santa and encounters Kyle's letter.

I was inspired to write this story one December morning in Los Angeles as I waited in the pre-Christmas lines at the post office. I noticed a flyer posted with a simple holiday request. Volunteers were asked to answer letters to Santa from underprivileged children. The story of Operation Santa Claus reinforced my need to write this novella. Although you would think most of the needy kids who write to Santa would ask for their own presents, a good deal of them make wishes for others, like one homeless child who asked for diapers for his baby sister.

Those stories touched my heart, and I think Kyle’s story will touch yours as well.

What is the one thing you've always wanted to do but never had the courage/opportunity to try?

Absinthe! I’m a connoisseur of foreign liqueur, but I haven’t gotten up the guts to try it yet. Never say never…

What can your fans look forward to in the next twelve months from you?

I have a full slate ahead of me for the next year. Besides my two upcoming releases, I am working on a single-title gothic contemporary, an anthology of romantic travel novellas, and another single-title romantic comedy set in New York City again, since I just love that town!

You have two books due out soon, What Lies in Winter and Raleigh in Rio. What can we expect from these two books?

What Lies in Winter is something of a departure from my first two releases, Sunset Key and Santa’s Helper. It’s a beautifully bold story about no-holds-barred sexuality and the love that can spring up between two unlikely partners in forced close quarters.

As far as Raleigh in Rio, that story’s full of the vibrant colors of Carnivale, the taste of Brazilian caipirinhas, and the pounding rhythm of the samba! It’s a literally sensual story, playing on all five of your senses as you experience my hero and heroine falling for each other beneath the starry Rio sky.

What is one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

Hmm… I try to remain mysterious, as you can tell from my website. All I can say is I make a mean Cassi-tini. What’s a Cassi-tini, you might ask? Well, it’s an ab-fab drink and my signature concoction. Here’s the recipe for all you lushes out there:

4 parts raspberry lemonade
1 ½ part Coconut Rum
splash of lime juice
1 part Grenadine

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add ingredients. Shake well. Pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lime. For a tangier mix, add a splash of lemon-lime soda, or soda water if you don’t have a sweet tooth. If you don’t have raspberry lemonade, any berry lemonade will do!

Could you tell us readers a little bit about your upcoming works?

In What Lies in Winter, a cozy cabin on Mammoth Mountain is occupied by Nicholas Rhiordan, a bad-tempered Brit carrying a burdened past. He thinks he has the next two weeks of winter all to himself to work on his latest mystery novel. Little does he know that Hayley Barrett, a spunky publicist with no inhibitions, has rented the same cabin through his secretary. The little vixen refuses to leave and when a blizzard makes a surprise appearance, things get pretty steamy in their home away from home.

Raleigh in Rio stars my first Latin lover, P.I. Cristo Santiago, and Raleigh Campbell, a soon-to-be divorcee who’s ready for adventure. Her friends, including Freesia Daniels, whom some of my readers may recognize from Sunset Key, take her on a whirlwind vacation to Rio during Carnivale. The carefree nature of her escapade intensifies when she meets Cristo. He’s been secretly trailing her in hopes of finding her ex’s embezzled funds, but he gets more than he bargained for when he meets her eye-to-eye.

Who has influenced you the most in terms of developing your personal writing?

Who else? Jude and Nora! Need I say more…

Can you tell us something about you that makes you unique?

I’ve focused on telling stories set in many exotic locales. I love to travel, and I think that shows in my writing. I’ve gone from the California Mountains to the sunny southern beaches of Key West, north to the streets of Manhattan, down to the pulsing parades of the Brazilian Carnivale and east to the art galleries of Paris. I think that versatility makes me unique, and that impression should only increase as my bibliography grows.

How did you celebrate selling your first book?

I ran over to my best friend’s apartment and jumped up and down for ten minutes straight. This was a decidedly un-Cassidy-like thing to do, but hey… even I can surprise people.

What are some of your hobbies besides writing?

Hobbies! Pfft… My world is writing. When I’m not writing, I’m watching films. They provide so much inspiration for my stories and set the tone for any new sub-genre I get the urge to try.

What would you like to accomplish with your writing career?

I want to be known as a versatile writer who can easily switch back and forth between a multitude of romance sub-genres. I’ve focused on contemporary stories, but in the future, I plan to branch out to paranormal, sci-fi, and maybe even historical. Why limit myself to what I know? I love to research.

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers today?

I’m planning lots of exciting contests for all of my upcoming releases (and a few of the current ones), and my newsletter is the best way to keep up with all my comings and goings. You can join here.

Thank you so much, Cassidy, for spending time with us today! Readers, be sure to visit Cassidy’s website.

Interviewed by: Tammy