**Spotlight & Interview** ~ Roya Carmen, author of **The Ground Rules**

Steamy Romance with a Dash of Sass

Today we welcome author, Roya Carmen, whose strap line of Steamy Romance with a Dash of Sass really intrigued me! Roya is the author of The Ground Rules, a sizzling erotic romance series which is receiving rave reviews, and she has kindly offered to share some information on her latest releases and give us some insider information on her writing journey! Scroll down for the interview and find out more about The Ground Rules. Tina ❤

Two beautiful couples. Five simple rules. One hot mess.

Author Interview

1.Hi Roya, would you like to tell us something about yourself and what prompted you to become a writer?

I am mom of three who enjoys art, reading and writing. I wrote when I was younger, but kind of lost touch with my writing when I went to school to study Graphic Design. For years, my world was all about art. But in 2002, I took a creative writing class and it got the juices going again. And in 2008, I started to write romance, hoping to become a Harlequin writer.

2.What was your inspiration for your latest release and to what extent is it based on your own experiences or those of people you know?

I actually wrote a blog post about this very recently. The concept was inspired by a story a friend told me about his sister who was married and in an open relationship. What if? I thought. What if someone like me, an ordinary mom and wife who has been with her husband for years and who was still very much in love, just happened to meet the most enigmatic and beautiful man she’d ever seen and be thrown into such a situation? What kind of drama would ensue? How could she resist the temptation? How could she not fall in love?

3. Would you like to share anything about your publishing journey? I read on your webpage that you have novels on Wattpad, have self- published and are published with Omnific.

I self-published a short contemporary romance in 2014 entitled Back to You. I found my publisher for The Ground Rules Trilogy by sheer luck, when I was shopping at Wal-Mart and picked up a copy of Sylvain Reynard’s Gabriel’s Inferno. I also have two short erotic romances on Wattpad under @royastories.

4. What type of scenes do you like to write the most and what are the most challenging?

I enjoy writing scenes where the hero and heroine are fighting – I guess I enjoy drama! I also like writing sex scenes, I must admit. I like to carry the scene through, because I don’t like to be a tease. Lol! The hardest scenes are the sad scenes.

5. How much easier has the success of FSOG made it to publish in the erotic romance genre and what barriers do you think remain that need to be broken? Why do you think that this genre has proved so popular?

FSOG has introduced so many readers to erotic romance, myself included. It’s okay now to say you read erotic romance. I can talk to my sister-in-law or my friend about FGOG over dinner. The e-book market is great – so many indie authors like myself are among the top titles. But we need more new authors in traditionally published erotic romance.

6. What about research for your novels? You must have had a lot of fun with this!

The Ground Rules is set in Chicago. I’ve only been there briefly and I think it’s a very sexy city. I had to do lots of research online, and I hope I didn’t mess up too much, but I’m sure I did. There are a lot of references to actual locations in the book, and I also made up some fictional ones. Book 2 of the trilogy also takes us to Hawaii and New York. Yay! I like to write about places I’ve been. My other romances are set in Boston, Bar Harbour, Maine and Seattle… all place I’ve been.

7. I noticed on your webpage that you have a number of novels published on Wattpad. How useful is this publishing platform for new writers?

I like the interaction on Wattpad. It’s perfect for shorter stories you might not necessarily want to publish. It introduces me to new readers and writers as well.

8. What is your writing process like? To what extent do you plan the characters and plot and how much do you just let the words flow?

First, I have an idea… a concept. Then, I create the characters (for this I use extensive character profiles). Then, I create a thorough outline, consisting of scenes in bullet point form. Then I start writing each scene – each scene has its own outline in bullet form. And then, I put on my earphones, listen to my music, and let the words flow!! Sometimes the scene goes to places I hadn’t expected. And I’m like… wow! That was hot! There’s nothing better than being in the zone. I save all editing until the end. Needless to say, the first draft is a dog’s breakfast.

9. Is there a method to your writing schedule? Do you write when your muse calls or more regularly?

I write morning time, or occasionally when the muse hits.

10. Have you any useful tips for any wannabe writers who are teetering on the edge but have yet to take the plunge?

Go for it!! But only do it if you really love it! Because if you don’t, it will show in your writing. You should always be passionate about your writing.

11. Who are your favourite authors?

I read mostly commercial women’s/chick lit and contemporary romance. Some of my fave authors are Sophie Kinsella, Jane Green, Helen Fielding, Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Nicholas Sparks. And when I’m feeling a little naughty, I read erotic romance. Some of my faves are Christina Lauren, Sylvain Reynard, EL James, Bella Andre, Harlequin Blaze and at the moment, I’m discovering lots of new indie authors and reading more books on my Kindle.

12. If you have a WIP, is there anything that you’d like to share with us about it, pretty please?

Right now, I’m working on final edits to Book 3 of The Ground Rules. But I also have a notebook of ideas for upcoming trilogy series. I’m debating between two concepts: One centres around three sibling and the country side, and the other is set in Paris. And who knows, I might end up tackling something completely different… whatever gets my blood flowing the most.

13. Have you a message for readers?

Keep reading!! And thanks so much to all those who have read my stories! ❤

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule. We wish you the best of luck with the release, your career as a writer and life in general. ❤

Book Blurb for The Ground Rules

1. Don’t sleep around.

2. Don’t kiss and tell.

3. Be nice.

4. Don’t text or call.

5. Don’t fall in love.

The rules were simple…until they weren’t.

I have everything I ever thought I could want: a nice home, a job I love, two beautiful girls, and my husband, Gabe – my high school sweetheart who still rocks my world. If you ask anyone to describe me they would say, “Oh, Mirella? She’s such a nice girl.” And that’s true…until a mysterious, peculiar man and his beautiful wife enter our lives.

Weston and Bridget Hanson are no ordinary couple—they’re stunning, enigmatic, and sexy as hell. During the course of one unexpected evening, my ordinary world is turned upside down. How could it not be when Weston and Bridget propose the unthinkable? And when the unthinkable is so very tempting, giving in becomes inevitable.

It sounds so logical and simple. Just five rules and we can all have what we desire. But the heart doesn’t follow rules, and now passion, jealousy, and confusion threaten to tear everything apart.

Two beautiful couples. Five simple rules. One hot mess.