Fallen Angel Reviews welcomes Red Garnier for what I hope will be an eye opening interview with an author that is making a name for herself in the world of erotica. Welcome Red Garnier and please feel free to kick your feet up and relax.

Thank you so much, it’s wonderful to be here.

So Red, hope it is ok to call you that. I have to admit to being a rabid fan of your Spin series. The slight element of coercion is a big turn on for me as a reader but I’m curious how receptive have other readers been to the aggressive nature of your male heroes?

Ooooh, that’s a tough one. Of course I’d love to think everybody loves my books, but I doubt that’s the case with any book, particularly books that push a couple of hot buttons. Overall, readers I’ve heard from have loved Bas, and completely flipped over David in Spin it Again, so I think you and I aren’t the only ones who enjoy our alphas on the aggressive side.

You’ve had an extremely busy 2007 so far… with four new releases and more coming. Which of your published releases has seemed to draw the most attention to date?

To date, I’d have to say the book that has most garnered attention, comments, and fan mail would have to be Spin Devil. It’s a book that definitely takes you out of your comfort zone. Readers remember it, and curiously some who were a bit shocked at first suddenly had to read it again—and again—and then again. Now they’re eager to know if there are more like it coming!

Red please tell us about your new release from Loose Id, Villain, the name alone sounds so dangerous? How does this book differ from your pure erotica offerings?

Erotica brings you more freedom, but I found that even with that freedom granted, I haven’t strayed much from the HEA my Hero and Heroine deserve. I personally think Villain is just as erotic as my erotica offerings. Gabriel Hunter, the hero in Villain, is the dark and brooding type, the kind I’ve always had a penchant for. I just love tortured heroes!

Spin Some More is scheduled for a fall release date, will this be the last of the Spin series or can your fans expect more from this group of college friends?

I get so excited every time I think of that book. I think readers will love Spin Some More. In fact I’m very, very tempted to spill it all out—but I won’t! I’m not going to spoil it, but let me just say let November 14th get here fast. It’s a fabulous quickie, and different from the first two.

I still haven’t decided on who of the friends will get to “keep” the devil. Luella and Haley are still aching for their night of fun, so I think that while they get their turn, I’ll be open to reader comments and suggestions.

Your blog is a combined effort with some other new Ellora’s Cave authors. How did you ladies come together and do you feel this is an easier way of blogging than being responsible for a sole blog where the daily content is all on your shoulders?

I adore my blog sisters. I blog with two groups, Six Degrees of Sexy, and Passion’s Muses. I think having a group blog definitely gives readers more variety. There’s always someone’s release coming up, always a contest, and always fun banter between us. I’m getting my site revamped and will have a personal blog up soon, just to keep visitors up to date, but I wouldn’t change my blog sisters for anything. They just brighten my day.

When you sit down to write what drives the creative process for you? Is it as simple as a couple walking down the street, a favorite item or do you pull from your own history with passion and lust?

It’s amazing sometimes where an idea pops up. It’s sometimes only a word I might hear, in a movie, a restaurant, or in a book. Sometimes it’s in an image. A picture or a photograph, or a sculpture I may see. Sometimes it’s in a feeling; in a rage, or a longing, or a wish. It’s just everywhere, you just have to be receptive to it.

When an idea hits, I usually let it linger so it matures. Sometimes it’s ready immediately, sometimes it takes a few days to grow and strengthen, like a seed. Then, when it’s ready…it starts torturing me. Like really torturing me. So if I don’t sit down and write I feel I’m going to be sick. I can’t even listen to actual conversations around me with the one going on in my head. So then the truly challenging part comes; making the time to actually write it, and hoping I can capture it as well and true as I imagined it.

Now that we’ve discussed your books I’m sure the FAR readers would love to know more about Red, the woman behind some of the hottest erotica to hit the net in ages. Tell us what topic/subject easily adds a smile to your face no matter how tough a day you’ve had?

My husband, my kids, my four dogs and three parrots, they never fail to make me smile. My kids say the darnedest things sometimes, and my hubby I swear was just made for me (and likewise). I truly am the sort of person, who smiles and laughs a lot, and I feel everything with passion—even a friend’s problem or emotion usually reaches me to the core. Getting a fabulous review or a wonderful email always makes my day—hey, my week even!

On your website you mention your love for romance, what is your favorite genre of romance to read when you’re taking a break from your own writing? Without putting you on the spot what was the best romance you read this summer?

I deeply, devotedly, unashamedly love all kinds of romance, though the ones most memorable to me are among the first I read. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux, The Prize by Julie Garwood, and the first erotic collection of stories I read, Delta of Venus, by Anais Nin. I could read those books a hundred times and more! As for this summer, I’ve done a lot of reading, and loved every minute of it! There are some wonderful books out from EC and Loose ID authors. I also enjoy Kensington’s Aphrodisia and Brava lines, and Berkley Heat’s newest offerings. Among some faves that quickly come to mind are Teresa Medeiros’ The Vampire Who Loved Me, Christine Warren’s Wolf at the Door, and Lori Foster’s Jaime.

Now for some silly questions I’m sure every reader wants to know about the author whose work they adore. What is your favorite comfort food?

Chocolate-dipped strawberries. There. I’ve said it. I will agree to anything at all if you give me a handful of those! I also love cherries and raspberries, but my adoration for chocolate-dipped strawberries is simply unrivaled.

Do you watch television and if so what show are you willing to run a red light in order to make sure you don’t miss a second of the action?

You know, rather than a favorite series, I love to watch movies. Old and new, international, critically acclaimed and not so acclaimed. When I feel brain burn and need to treat myself to some solo time, I always treat myself to a movie. I love knowing it’ll appease my mind and be over in a few hours, versus a series where I fret over it endlessly!

Before you start to wonder if I’ve lost all semblance of professionalism is there anything I didn’t ask that you’ve been dying to reveal to your fans?

I wish there was, some juicy tidbit to share. As it is, my life is pretty much an open book, no pun intended! I love writing, love reading, and love my family. I consider myself fairly normal, and doubt the solemn-looking cashier at the supermarket would ever believe, by a look at me, that I write what I do! But I’ve always liked surprises, and I’ve always been a little mischievous. At my high school year book, one of my friends wrote that if the world ended, it was probably all my doing—for being such an activity whirlwind and a threat to civilization. Maybe now I should call him up and say, “George, did you know I’m setting the world on fire?”

Oh, but I’d hate to give him a coronary.

As we close out this interview I noticed you have an upcoming release by the name of Bona Fide Liar, please spill the beans on this story. The blurb alone had me salivating and wishing it was September 28th already.

Bona Fide Liar is just plain fun. I loved writing that book! It all starts with a lie, which Carly Sanders is appalled to hear. Alexander Callahan is basically telling everybody she’s…done that. With him. The nerve of him! So she’s determined to pay him back—and it’s just hilarious to watch. For readers who may find my erotica a bit heavy emotionally, this book is a fresh, fun, sexy read. I can’t wait to hear what people think of it.

Red, thank you for taking time to sit down with me this evening and answering the questions I had. Before you leave can you let our readers know where they can find additional information about your books and any upcoming chats, appearances, or book signings?

Rachelle, thank you so much, you’ve been wonderful, and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Well I do hope readers watch out for Bona Fide Liar, coming soon from Ellora’s Cave, right before Spin Some More, and my newest contracted novel The Sheeman, a paranormal romance from Loose ID.

I’m in a bit of a daring mode right now, with a book in the works that will—again—push a few buttons. I’m very excited about it, because I very much enjoy stretching boundaries. Tentatively, the book is titled Monster. I’m loving it and hope readers will, too.

Interviewed by: Rachelle