The attraction of captor/captive romances, inspiration for their Hot Desert Sheikhs and scorching scenes and more………

I am SO excited to share with you the interviews with the three bestselling authors who each wrote one of the books which make up the TAKEN BY THE SHEIKH boxed set. When I was given the opportunity to quiz them on these hot alpha men and the women they decide to make their own I jumped at the chance! I also asked them about their collaboration on the scorching erotic series, ‘Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives’ their writing process and their future projects. Scroll down to read the interview and be sure to visit us on 22nd December when we will be sharing more information about the release and details of a Rafflecopter giveaway! Tina 🙂

Three desert Sheikhs. Three captive brides…

Bound by duty to honor their father’s dying wish, three royal brothers must marry their destined brides… by whatever means necessary…

Q&As with Christina, Mel and Cathleen

1. Where did the idea for writing the boxed set, ‘Taken by the Sheikh’ come from?

Mel – Cathleen had the idea of the boxed set and working with other authors, when she asked if I was interested I couldn’t say yes fast enough! I love trying new concepts and ideas. As for the sheikh idea – I just happened to have started a sheikh story of my own and so we ran with it!

Cathleen – I’ve seen authors have great success with boxed sets, so I decided to pick two writers whose work I love and felt I could work with. I think these two things are essential for a project.

Christina – It was funny because I’d wanted to get involved in a boxed set for a few months but had no idea how to begin the process. So when Cathleen contacted me with her idea I was thrilled! I’d also never tackled a Sheikh hero before so the challenge was irresistible. 🙂

2. I see that you have also collaborated on writing the ‘Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives series.’ In terms of working together, to what extent did you bounce ideas off each other before, during and after writing the first draft? Also have you any tips on what makes such a collaboration a success?

Mel – I think we relied more on our editor (Tracey O’Hara) who was kind of the anchor for this series. When I wrote my housewife, Camilla, when interactions with other characters occurred to me – I’d talk to Tracey and/or the other author of that character and ensure it all came together seamlessly and made sense.

Cathleen – For Taken by the Sheikh – We have three brothers who have to marry fast because their parents have been assassinated and their country’s stability is at risk. That’s the basic premise. From that point we each wrote out story but we had to check things with each other re: continuity. For any project there has to be some give and take and we all were prepared to do that.

Christina – In my Secret Confessions book, Willow, whenever I brought in one of the other housewives I’d contact that author and run my scene by them to ensure they were happy with what I’d done. With our Sheikh books it was more a case of hammering out our world and the brothers’ backgrounds so we were all on the same page before we started, and then ensuring the continuity ran smoothly. I think it’s essential that each author in this kind of project is willing to be flexible to accommodate each other’s story threads.

3. Why do you think that the captor/captive theme in romance novels has such an everlasting appeal?

Mel – I think it’s because it’s so alpha and illegal and bad, and let’s face it we all love a bit of a bad boy – it trips that little flutter button inside us.

Cathleen – Mel and I love writing forced seduction whereas Christina prefers romance. She’s the rose writer between two thorns. I think as a romantic trope the sexy dark commanding sheikh is here to stay because he’s the ultimate alpha male.

Christina – I think it’s the whole forbidden/fantasy aspect that’s so appealing. I love reading about these take no prisoner Alpha heroes but in real life I’d probably smack him around the head.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from for your male/female leads?

Mel – I’m a very visual person, my characters form in my head and come together as I write – their looks and their personalities. If I’m really organized I’ll do a character chart and even a bit of a plot, but I find letting everything come together on its own and layering as I go works better. 

Cathleen – I always see my hero first and the initial situation. This sheikh is dark, secretive and dangerous. I don’t plot. I write and it flows out like a movie.

Christina – I’m really not sure. It’s all in my mind and they are so real to me. I don’t pick out photos of celebrities or anything like that – although it’s a strange but true fact that many of my heroes do closely resemble Henry Canvill!

5. You have probably been asked this many times already, but where do you get your ideas from for your smoking hot/erotic scenes? lol

Mel – My husband would love to say I practise everything on him, but I guess it’s mostly that I have a good imagination LOL 

Cathleen – My husband is convinced it’s all about him and his moves. Me? I have a never ending supply of stories that demand to be written. Some come to me in dreams, some characters catch my attention and demand their own stories. If I don’t write them they bug me at three in the morning so I just get on with it.

Christina – Writing hot love scenes is just part of the way I enjoy writing my romances. To me they’re an essential part of the story where the characters are laid bare – in more ways than the obvious. So as far as where do the ideas come from, they are kind of organic to the hero and heroine of that particular story, just as every other scene is.

6. Why do you enjoy writing romance?

Mel – I just love writing a happily ever after and seeing two people (or sometimes more!) get together despite seemingly impossible odds. There’s nothing quite like a love story with undercurrents of danger. 

Cathleen – I’m passionate about the craft and trying to improve and try different things. I write in different genres which so the challenge is always there for me. I love reading a well-crafted romance and getting the satisfaction of a happy ending.

Christina – I love crafting seemingly impossible conflicts and then discovering how my hero and heroine overcome them to reach their happily-ever-after. I love my HEA. There should be more of them. 🙂

7. When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

Mel – Reading, going to the cinema and watching brilliant movies, catching up on series like The Walking Dead, watching a little too much reality tv, and having a few drinks in the afternoon with my hubster.

Cathleen – Reading, walking my puppy. I’m obsessed with the Walking Dead, going to my little farm and growing vegetables, hanging out with other writers, cooking and having my friends over.

Christina – I like to sleep! LOL! Apart from that I love reading, catching up on missed shows and movies on DVD, being a devoted slave to my kitties and of course spending precious time with my gorgeous family.

8. Finally, what works have you in the pipeline?

Mel – Where to start! I’m continuing writing for the ES Siren series with Denise Rossetti and Shona Husk, and I also have a longer length sub with a publisher that’s pretty different to what I usually write. I’m also working on another longer ms in first person point of view – a mutant story set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world. 

Cathleen – I’m finalising a zombie apocalypse novel set on a navy base for my publisher, I have two boxed set projects to do with Mel and Christina, my publisher has given me to the go ahead for an Aussie outback type novel and people keep asking me for BDSM novels after the success of ‘Secret Confessions: Sydney Housewives series.’ I’m also writing my next Highlander story as Highlander Romance is selling so well.

Christina – I’m currently writing three linked books for Entangled Publishing’s Brazen line about three bad boy brothers. This is the first time I’ve set books in the States so this is another challenge for me. Next year I plan to self publish a sexy contemporary and write another boxed set with Cathleen and Mel.

Thank you for taking time out to answer my questions, Christina, Mel and Cathleen. We wish you the very best on the release! Tina and Caroline ❤ ❤ ❤

Capture Taken by the Sheikh at the special low introductory price of  $0.99 for six weeks only!

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