An Interview With Author, Clare Dargin

Interview With Clare Dargin

Author Bio

Clare Dargin is an author of Science Fiction and Romance and has been writing stories all of her life before being published in 2007. She’s a great fan of the two genres and loves promoting them.

An educator by profession, she possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in English from a major mid-western university. She presently resides in the Midwest and she hopes to expand her writings to include non-fiction, historical romance, and contemporary novels.
 

Author Links- http://claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com

 

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

 

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done? 

Oh that's difficult to say.  Hmmm if I had to choose one, it would be going to Europe to the UK when I was college.

What adventure would you like to have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were no problem?

I'd love to go to Hong Kong and/or Australia.  Just because it'd look like it would be cool.

Who are some of your favorite authors?  What commonality do you see in them? 

Inside my genre there are too many to name!  But outside my genre it would be Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child books.  I just love reading them.  They have a balance of accuracy and great story telling with characters who seem to jump off the page with life.

I believe color says something about a person’s personality.  What’s your favorite color?

I recently saw QVC and added a new favorite color to my retinue- Sea Foam Green. But if that's not around, I settle for Royal Blue.

If you could have a do-over life, what one thing would you do differently?  What would you do again?

I wouldn't stress about the little things and as for what would I do over?  I'd just let things flow as life happened and act accordingly. 

What is your writing process from conception to finished MS?

I'm a tried and true pantster<---sp?  So I usually am inspired by something or someone.  And decide on the setting, if that hasn't already happened, then research the hell out of the topic if I don't already have some rudimentary understanding of it.

Are you a planner, panster or both?

Pantster.  I tried being a plotter/planner and it drove me bonkers plus I totally didn't even follow it after like two tries.

How did you research for your book?

The internet!

What is your all-time favorite movie?  TV show?

Star Wars.  TV shows-- too many to name.  At any given time I could name a different one-- like for instance right now I'm obsessed with Supernatural.  A few years back I was obsessed with Firefly.  So it ebbs and flows.

How important do feel writing workshops are to any writer?

I think they are great for the beginning writer or the person who is ready to get their work published but may not be certain if their work is ready to be submitted.  I've used workshops through list-serves in the past (yes my age is showing) as well as through letter correspondence-- (yep that confirms it, I'm old.  But not ancient.)

If you could learn one new skill, fear and money no deterrent, what would it be?

I'd learn how to appreciate musicals.  They make me nuts.  I hate them but people swear they are an art form and one part of me says- hey Clare you are missing out.  But right now there isn't enough money in the world to pay for all the therapy I'll need if I have to sit through one musical cause they make me crazy!  I'm like -no body walks on the street singing a conversation!  Music videos, yes, that's just a song performed in front of people with like pictures but musicals are plays that take too long to be said. 

If you had a million dollars to donate to any one charity, what would it be?

I would set up a free or low cost School Fine arts in Detroit for elementary and middle school children.  That's not donating but that's a dream of mine.  

What advice would you like to give to an aspiring writer?

Know your target audience.  Know the genre in which you are writing, learn about crafting story, dialogue, pacing, etc.  And practice! Practice by writing always!

Did anyone mentor you or help you along the way?  Please tell us about your mentor and what you feel they contributed to your writing career.

There are so many people who have laid the foundation for my dream of publication and I am grateful to them all.  But the one person who stands out is DK Gaston who helped me with my first love-- my scifi romance Cold Warriors.  He really took the time to go through it and brought it up to publishing standards with his editing and I truly believe he was responsible for my first yes in the publishing world.  Thanks #DKGaston #TheFridayHouse #TaurusMoonRelicHunter <--great book!  Buy it!

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

You have to love yourself before you can love others.  Because you can't give what you don't have.

If you could live anywhere in the world you wanted to, where would it be? (Language is no barrier)

In one of my books right after the Happily Ever After!

Where do you write? 

Anywhere I can get some quiet and time!

How much time do you devote to writing each week?  Do you have a day every week that you take off?

It's hard to quantify really.  But it is more than ten and less than forty.

What is a genre that you have not attempted that you would like to try?

Non-fiction.  A dream of mine.  Oh and the spy thriller genre.

Is there anything you would like readers to know about you?

I always have at least two or three books in the pipeline! 

 

 

MERRY "CHRIS"MAS

[Ménage Amour: Erotic Ménage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, HEA]

Jilly Reimers wants love but can't find it. Chris Spinell is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who suffers from PTSD and a haunting feeling that something is missing in his life. Chris Poole is also an Afghanistan war veteran is ready to break out of his shell but is unsure how.

With Christmas just around the corner, they decide not to spend it alone. Believing The Love Play Matchmaking Service to be just what they need for a night of fun and passion, they sign up. But when the guys show up and see that they've been set up on a menage, the only one happy about it is Jilly. 

Their consultant, called an Eros, assures Jilly that the service has a perfect track record but she's certain they'll be the first ones to get their money back. Will they have a very merry Christmas? Or will the three spend yet another one alone?

A Siren Erotic Romance

Excerpt

Jilly idly twirled a lock of her hair as she gazed at the fire. The meal was good, a bit awkward, but all right. Now with Chris S. in the shower, she and Chris P., who’d freshened up after her, sat beside her. She hoped she’d get a chance to know him a little better, now that they were alone.

Unlike Chris S., Chris P. was quiet, more reserved. His warm smile could melt ice. They’d spoken a bit about his life in Australia and how he met the other Chris when they were on Diego Garcia, a tiny atoll in the Pacific. It was there he garnered a better perspective on life, friendships and love. She reasoned that war tended to do that to a person.

She looked at him again, admiring what she saw. He was gorgeous. If only she were a femme fatale like her friends. She pictured grabbing him by the scruff of his collar and planting a long seductive kiss on his pouty lips. Anything to ease the tension between her legs and the moisture dripping from her swollen pussy.

Golden and sun-kissed like a surfer, he had a look impossible to have around this time of year in Michigan, unless he spent countless hours in a tanning booth. But at the same time he didn’t look like the type who’d go to one. He seemed too rugged. She glanced at his short, flaxen hair, which he wore pulled back in a stubby tail. It accentuated his keen facial features. His physique, like that of a gladiator, made her want to whimper. Built like a brick wall without being too thick, he was three words—supple, etched, steel. And his Australian accent added to his raw sexiness.

Whereas Chris S. was the perfect picture type of the all-American, boy-next-door type, with light brown hair and sandy-colored tips and eyes so blue they looked like the color of tropical water. He reminded her of the high school captain of the football team who’d gone into the military and become a man, except he had a sensitive edge that permeated his being. While Chris P., who looked like he could take on a few guys at once, was more lighthearted and outgoing.

Either way, she knew she hit the jackpot because both guys were like something out of a magazine called Hot Guys “R” Us. They were a perfect ten. It was best Christmas gift anyone could have ever given her. She hoped a Chris Sandwich was definitely on the menu for the night. But how to get past the talking stage, she had no clue. She wondered if all of her Love Play’s match ups started like this.

Wearing some leggings and a cami, and he a T-shirt and shorts, she suddenly felt overdressed. The art of seduction was not something they taught in any of the schools she’d attended, and she sure as hell never picked up any pointers from her so-called “friends.” And her exes never gave her any encouragement in that department either.

This date should have come with instructions. I think I’m in trouble.

She let out a long sigh.

“Did you say something?” Chris P. asked, stirring from his long silence.

“I was just thinking how beautiful this place is,” she lied. What? How lame is that?

“It is. I’ve never been to a place quite like this.”

“Love Play has quite a reputation.”

“You’ve used it before?” He perked up, facing her.

Heat burned her cheeks. “No. It’s what I heard from some of their clients.”

“So have you been married?” he asked.

“No.”

“Neither have I. Never found anyone to get serious with,” he said, shrugging. “I don’t know. Maybe cupid’s arrow doesn’t work on me.”

“For me they’re defective. Or maybe his aim is bad,” she said, trying to suppress the memory of her ex-boyfriend.

“What do you mean?”

“My relationships, they never work out.” She shrugged her shoulders. “For whatever reason, they seem to choose my friends over me. Or it ends up that way once we get together.”

He shook his head. “Nah. They were bad blokes from the start. Believe me. I know. I’ve been around those types my entire life. The randier they are, the worse they will be. If a man wants you, he’ll stay.” His tone was soft, almost vulnerable.

“Maybe.”

“So tell me,” he said, turning to face her, “you ordered this hook up?”

Again, her face flushed. She imagined it turning its characteristic red when the blood rushed to her cheeks.

“Yes. But according to the guidelines, you would have either had to be open to it or requested it too. Right?”

He chuckled. “I see he also got the smart I asked for. Yes, I am open to a ménage.” His expression became serious. “Do you think me odd?”

“No. I’m glad we share that desire.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Chris S. slipped her undies over her round hips. They slid down her baby-like skin, exposing her shaved mound. More blood flowed to his dick, making whimper.

“God,” he said, fighting tears.

Through gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes, he forced himself to maintain control. It was getting to be damn near impossible. Everything about her was fucking outstanding. Lips, breasts, skin and pussy. He was ready to fill her pussy with his thick, hard dick.

He slid his finger into the folds of her wet interior. The thin crease surrounded by supple labia oozed moisture from her tight and tiny hole. He slid a finger inside her hole, and her taut muscles quivered at his touch.

“You want it?” he asked.

She moaned “yes” before being silenced by the other Chris’s mouth. He inched her legs apart. Moving in just right, he tasted her. Explosions went off in his brain. She was pure, simple, clean and honeyed. He wanted to mark her as his own. Delving his tongue in and out of her tight hole, he held her still, allowing her juices to saturate his mouth.

Lifting her legs, he opened her wider, curling her upward, burying his face in her mound. His breaths increased as his heart rate grew frantic. His hard dick, standing at full scale attention, threatened to bust a nut if he didn’t stop.

Pulling away, he set her down gently. “Got to go get a condom.”

The other Chris looked up, his eyes equally as dazed as he felt.

She swallowed, seeming breathless. “My bag, by the wall.”

The time for being cool had passed. Quicker than he’d wanted and less suave, he dashed toward it, finally seeing the stash. Grabbing the entire lot, along with a bottle of lubricating gel, he opened the box and pulled out two, handing one to Chris and keeping the other for himself. Setting it aside, he removed his shorts, exposing his aching dick to the room’s cool air. He grimaced as he slid the latex over his shaft. It hurt with a pain that would only be relieved by what Jilly had to offer. He squeezed the gel, which had the scent of strawberries, onto his palm. He fisted his hand and soaked his condom-wrapped rod with the smooth, thick liquid. The mere pressure of his hand gave him some relief, albeit short.

“Me first,” he said, climbing onto the bed.

Calming himself, he lay down beside her and turned her on her side. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close. He spread her legs apart as she tilted her pelvis back. She melded her body to his. There was so much of her he wanted, not only her body, but her soul, mind, and yes, even her heart.

He took a hand and placed himself at her entrance. Slowly he pushed inside. He grunted and made himself hold back, lest he spill at that moment.

She was so tight. No doubt about it. This was going to be a short run. Inch by inch, he slid inside of her, stopping at the root. His balls drew in tight. He shifted her close and moved in and out slowly. Each movement became stronger as his control slipped. He needed the release, the kind that would give his aching balls sweet relief. Back and forth his hips moved inside her. She wriggled and moaned in response. Their mouths met briefly, tongues swirling, causing his stomach and heart to flutter. He increased his thrusts. Finding his target, she keened her delight.

“Yes,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”

She pushed her ass toward him.

“Baby, I’m going to come.”

“Come, honey. Come.”

He grunted, harder and harder. Sliding his hand down to her hard clit, he rubbed it as his panting increased. Pressure built up behind his eyes, his mind went blank as everything in the world seemed to fall away. He couldn’t stop. Harder and harder he pushed, holding her firm and tight.

With light speed, he cried out, “God!” His hips bucked upward while cum poured out of him.

Slightly dizzy, he held onto her before letting her go. “Are you all right?”

Her kiss eased the butterflies threatening to kill the moment. Sliding out of her, he sighed, relieved. He gazed into her eyes. Instantly he felt the completed connection he’d sensed along. She was the one. And he saw that she felt it too.

* * * *

Jilly recovered her breath as Chris P. gathered her up into his arms. His musky scent was so spicy and inviting. She buried her face in the crook between his shoulder and neck. She was ready.

“On your back,” he said, holding her.

She nodded.

“Tell me if I’m hurting you,” he said, whispering in her ear.

From her tall Adonis, she was ready to receive all he gave her. Trust welled up within her heart. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

Placing her on back like she weighed nothing but a feather, he positioned himself on top of her. A lock of his blond hair obscured his face. She opened her legs. She felt his solid, round tip prod her hole. Panting, he pushed inside of her, his raw strength causing her pussy to clench. Each muscle spasmed to accommodate his thick and meaty cock. She cried out along with him. He braced himself.

Buy Link-- http://www.bookstrand.com/merry-chris-mas

 GIVEAWAY ALERT!! Clare will be giving away an e-copy of  COLD WARRIORS to someone who comments. Be sure to include your email address in your comment to enter.