Award-winning
contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in
small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique...
Her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that
pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las
Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found in belly dance class,
or strumming her ukulele, perhaps exploring the West with her charming husband,
or cooking up a storm, and always gobbling all the romance books. For a
guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at www.sadirastone.com.
2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?
Since I write romance, there’s seldom a clear-cut villain, other than the
couple’s own inner turmoil and painful pasts. Whether I have more fun writing
the hero or the heroine varies from book to book. For The Billionaire’s Christmas
Castle, my most recent release, I related more to heroine Annie, who’d endured
far to many snubs from snooty rich folks to see billionaire Michael as a
potential love interest. Overall, though, I do tend to fall in love with my
book boyfriends—I mean, that’s the point, right?
3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain
imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before
the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
First comes the inspiration. For example, seeing a castle in a small
California mountain town made me itch to write one in Trappers Cove. Then comes
the basic premise: rich guy comes to Trappers Cove and meets a local woman who
convinces him to rent the castle. From there I create character sketches for
the hero and heroine—and yes, I find photos to help me visualize the hero and
heroine. I make a Pinterest board for each story. Wanna see? https://www.pinterest.com/sadira0641/
4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination
create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the
plot or after you have the idea for the story?
See above. No matter their age or background, my heroines always have a
touch of me—rebels who push back against family or societal forces that would
keep their lives small and dull. These ladies yearn to live big, shiny lives,
and the men they fall for support them on their journey.
Your favorite book?
Now, now, you can’t possibly expect me to pick just one! That’s like
asking a mother to name her favorite child. I am very fond of historical
romances by Sarah Maclean and Joanna Shupe, and contemporary romances by too
many authors to count. Nothing too dark, though. Sorry, CoHo fans.
5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always
have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or
heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them
human?
In my romances, the antagonist is usually the hero and heroine’s own
inner wounds that must be overcome before they can accept love fully. But
there’s sometimes a force they struggle against together—interfering family,
dastardly exes, so-called “loved ones” who want to keep them from growing, and
my personal favorite: greedy developers who threaten to suck all the charm out
of a small town or neighborhood.
6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the
villain?
The Billionaire’s Christmas Castle is book 3 in the Trappers Cove Romance series, set in a funky
little beach town in Washington State.
Michael Garwood, age 54, is a billionaire tech investor who flees the high-rise
jungle of Bellevue to escape the Christmas madness. He figures Trappers Cove
will give him the peace and solitude he needs to sort out a personal and
professional crisis that could destroy the business he’s built from the ground
up. What he didn’t count on was meeting Annie.
Annie Scott, age 56, owns Auntie Annabelle’s Antiques Attic, a vintage
shop on Trappers Cove’s Main Street that’s popular with locals and tourists
alike. She has zero patience for snobs, but to help a dear friend, she persuades
Michael to rent the local castle, recently renovated as a “luxury” vacation
rental.
When a freak cold snap freezes pipes and floods the site of Trappers
Cove’s Christmas Ball, Annie persuades Michael to host a party for the whole
damn town! If the sassy, sexy shopkeeper weren’t so intriguing, he’d turn her
down flat. But he agrees, sparks fly, and… Well, let’s just say
that steam and sparks ensue.
I had so much fun writing this spicy over-50 holiday romance that proves
it’s never too late for an HEA.
7. What are you working on now?
Book 4 in the Trappers Cove series features a sprawling, very weird,
alien-themed souvenir shop called Crazy Gus’s Souvenir Planet. When Gus dies
under mysterious circumstances, his nephew Xander Anagnos inherits the whole
mess and vows to turn it into a successful, if clichéd, shopping gallery.
Local journalist Hannah Leone vows to save the beloved landmark. If she
can stir up enough outrage, she’ll save a vital tourist magnet and revive her
dying local newspaper. Of course, these two butt heads, fall hard for each
other…and discover that Uncle Gus’s alien obsession wasn’t just a marketing
gimmick.
Love, Legacy, and Little Green Aliens comes out February 22, 2024.
8. How can people find you? I’m on all the socials—except for the dead
bird app. I love to hear from readers! https://linktr.ee/SadiraStone
9. Who are your favorite authors? Besides the two I mentioned above, I’ve
recently raved over contemporary romance by Michelle McCraw, Ali Hazelwood, TJ
Alexander, Angelina M. Lopez, Tracey Livesay, Laurie Ryan (another Washington
State beach town series!), and Tessa Bailey.
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