Good morning. It’s Meet and Greet Monday!
With us today is Romance Author, Lexi Post.
Welcome, Lexi!
Did you make any resolutions for 2014?
Not really. I set goals for the year in two areas, my writing and my finances. I figure it’s a bit hard to get where I’m going if I’m not sure of the destination. So I brainstorm realistic goals over the holidays like, write two books to start off two series, or attend the Romantic Times convention.
Tell us, what’s the first thought that comes to your head when you read the following words…
Romance … love, I was born romantic :-}
Keith Urban … sexy
Vacation … St. Martin beach
Dean Winchester … ??
Wolverine … Had a crush on him in the comic since a teenager and the in-person version is smoking hot!!
Tell us a bit about yourself. Where do you live, do you have a significant other, any young Posts running around?
I live in the US Virgin Islands, home of beautiful sunsets, happy people, and driving on the left. My family here includes my retired fireman husband and my 14lb angora tuxedo cat, Giz.
Tell us about your “big break” in the publishing world. Was there any one person believe in your work first (besides yourself of course)? What did you do to celebrate your first contract?
I have a few people to thank for my first contract. Of course my husband, who believes I can do anything, and my hardworking critique partner, Marie Patrick. But the keys to the actual “break” were Jennifer Ashley and Brenda Novak. Jennifer Ashley told me a few years ago that she saw many writers who wanted to be published, but she knew I would make it. That was huge coming from her, and as rejections rolled in, I would either use her words to bolster my confidence or I would use them to fuel my determination to prove her right. The second person was Brenda Novak and her auction. After three years of strange occurrences with my wins that were beyond Brenda’s control, it was no surprise that she knew who I was. So when I won a bid to have dinner with Raelene Gorlinsky and an editor from Ellora’s Cave, Brenda went out of her way to make sure we connected. At that dinner I met my future editor and the rest is history. As for celebrating, let’s just say that it was a rather intimate affair 😉
Did you always want to be an author?
No. Oh, I made stories up all the time. Even told them to my younger siblings before they went to bed at night, but my hand writing was so atrocious that just the idea of writing them down had me cringing. It wasn’t until I became proficient on computers and started wishing romance stories I read had gone a different way, that I decided to try writing. Unfortunately, I had been an English major in school, and I had been trained to criticize stories, not create them. It took a while to learn a whole new craft. Now I use that background to write erotic romances inspired by the classics.
What is your favorite junk food?
Ice cream (my homemade or Ben and Jerry’s).
What are you a collector of?
Hats. I wear them every day and buy one or two every time I travel, usually cowboy hats, gangster hats, or fedoras in every possible color and color combination. I stopped counting after 80 :-}
What five items do you take everywhere with you – besides cell phone, keys and purse/wallet?
Well, I don’t even own a purse, so it’s all about what fits in my pockets. That limits it to blistex, ibuprofen (just in case) and sometimes I’ll carry a sweater or jacket because I’m always cold. In our vehicle I do keep a copy of my latest book in case someone wants to buy it. Sold a lot more than I ever expected because I had one with me *g* That reminds me, the lady at the post office wants one.
What is your favorite TV Show?
Oh, so not fair. I rarely watch TV so the three shows I do watch I really enjoy. I watch Castle, Agents of Shield, and Sleepy Hollow. Please don’t ask me to pick.
No matter the story, where do you always draw inspiration from when you begin each story?
That’s too easy for me. I am inspired by classic literature. I read the original and a whole new story starts forming in my head. Or should I say a whole new, very hot, sexy story forms. For example, Masque was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death.” When I reread that story and saw the potential of the seven colored rooms to be seven Pleasure Rooms with a different sexual experience in each, I knew I had use it.
What three words best describe you?
Positive, Colorful, Happy.
What three words would your family use to describe you?
Confident, Eccentric, Adventurous.
Where have you traveled that you’d love to return? What made it so special the first time?
Scotland, though I have returned many times. I am in love with the country’s beauty, people and history. I also fell in love with my husband in Scotland who actually lived only 5 minutes down the road from me back in America J I am also addicted to Scottish Medieval castles.
If you were given an all-expense paid, five day/night trip to anywhere, where would you go?
St. Martin. Five days is too short a time for Scotland, but St. Martin is close by and it is the only place besides Scotland that my husband and I return to for vacations.
What is your one pet peeve about the writing business?
I’m not sure that I have one. Something that is an inconvenience would be that every publisher has to have their own style sheet. That can make having multiple publishers a bit of a task.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
All my writing friends are my favorites. Romance authors are so awesome! I have friends all over the country now and many who have come to visit me. So I buy all their books.
Who is your celebrity crush?
I’m very picky when it comes to that. If a male celebrity has stayed with his wife then that brings him to the top of my list, so men like the late Patrick Swayze, Kevin Sorbo, Sam Eliot and Hugh Jackman are definite heartthrobs for me.
Who/What are you currently reading?
For a romance, I just finished reading Feral Heat by Jennifer Ashley. I’m currently reading a 700 page classic story, but I can’t tell which one as that will be the surprise when I announce the series *g*
What do you find most challenging about writing?
Sitting for long hours. I have a tendency to get into my story and I forget to move anything but my fingers. I get very stiff. I lift weights to keep the metabolism going and to strengthen my muscles. I used to be a ballet dancer so I’m starting to incorporate some exercise to keep my flexibility as well. I think I’m going to start using the timer on my phone to make myself get up more often.
Passion of Sleepy Hollow
Lexi Post
Recluse Braeden Van Brunt is not happy to be the Headless Horseman…until he meets Katrina Van Tassel, owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, whose allure bewitches him from the front desk into the bedroom. When he discovers Kat and the village of Sleepy Hollow are cursed to exist in the present day for only one weekend a year, he realizes the sacrifice he must make if he wants to keep her.
Katrina Van Tassel lives between slivers of time. She thought she was through grieving her betrothed’s death, but her dreams flare to life when his mirror image arrives, requesting a room. Drawn to Braeden, she is taken to more erotic heights of intimacy than she ever imagined, but she can’t be sure if her heart is with him or the love from her past.
Knowing he must conquer both time and ghosts to keep the only woman he’s ever loved, Braeden must put the past to rest. But the dead may not rest in Sleepy Hollow.
The Many Faces of Sleepy Hollow
When I first decided to write an erotic romance inspired by Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” there was no television show by that name and I had not seen 
the Johnny Dep movie nor any of the cartoon versions that I have since been made aware of. I blissfully reread the original short story and my erotic romance started popping. Luckily, I finished it before the television show started as I didn’t want to be influenced by it in any way. Imagine my surprise when the television show made my hero the villain in their version!
Surprised by this turn of events, I decided to watch the Johnny Dep movie, but that interpretation was different from both mine and the television show. Granted I stayed the closest to the original story and mine is 100% sexier than the other versions; however, I have to say I have really enjoyed the television show. It is going in a completely different direction than my story did, but I have enjoyed it for itself, and of course, the eye candy 😉
Luckily, no one has to read the original story before reading my version, and if a reader is curious, I do summarize the story in a paragraph in the author’s note, but that just adds another level to the happier ever after. And yes, there is a happily ever after, in this case with mirrors. I may write erotic, but as one industry professional told me, I write erotic romance “with a whole lotta story”. Enjoy.
Always, Lexi
For more information about Lexi Post:
website: http://www.lexipostbooks.com/
Blog: http://www.happilyeverafterthoughts.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/LexiPost
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lexipostbooks
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