Anna Durand is an award-winning writer, a freelance librarian, and an audiobook addict. She specializes in steamy romances--paranormal, contemporary, and historical--featuring spunky heroines and hunky heroes. As a member of Romance Writers of America, she volunteers for its chapters to give back to the romance community. In her previous life as a librarian, she haunted the stacks of public libraries but never met any hot vampires hunting for magical books.
Tempted by a Kiss
Genre contemporary, erotic
Publisher The Wild Rose Press Blurb
Mel Thompson just dumped her cheating ex after two years together. Now she's determined to understand the allure of casual sex by having a steamy fling of her own at a notoriously raunchy underground club. When her best friend, Adam Caras, catches on to her plan, he makes a surprising offer to derail her. If she wants a hot fling, he'll give it to her.
Who better than Adam, renowned lady-killer, to demonstrate the erotic pleasures of a one night stand? Sex could ruin their friendship, but after a soul-searing kiss, Mel fears one night may never be enough.
Buy link Amazon
13
Fantastic Songs that Inspire My Writing
I love music, always have. Back in college,
I earned two degrees in music (before I got a master's in library science) and
I still love to sing and, of course, crank up the music while I'm writing. When
I'm gearing up to write, you may find me dancing in my chair and singing along
with my favorite songs. Some of them get me energized, some get me in the right
mood for a particular scene, but all of them play a vital role in fueling my
writing engine.
Even if I stopped writing (yeah right,
that's gonna happen!), I'd still listen to these songs over and over, never
tiring of them. I'll admit that, on occasion, I even put a song on repeat to
hear it three or four times in a row. Here's my list of my 13 favorite songs, that
also happen to inspire my writing.
"Love Runs Out"
by OneRepublic. The energy and driving beat of this
song can get my brain in gear faster than just about any other song.
"Sweeter" by
Gavin DeGraw. Ditto for this one. More energy with
a driving beat, plus fun lyrics that get me singing along every single time.
"No More Rain"
by Kylie Minogue. This song is a bit mellower, but
still energizing. I feel good every time I listen to this one!
"Turntable" by
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals. This sexy song
has clever lyrics I love, plus it's a great tune to listen to while writing a
hot-and-heavy love scene.
"Underestimated"
by Jennifer Paige. The ultimate break-up song from
a woman who's not taking any guff. Plus, its energy and infectious chorus wake
me up whenever I'm suffering from the just-woke-up blues.
"Only One" by
Katharine McPhee. I loved this song the first time
I heard it and find myself listening to it just about every day. The song
reminds me of my heroine Mel, from Tempted
by a Kiss, who might've posed the same challenge to her cheating ex.
"Like Sugar" by
Matchbox Twenty. I love Rob Thomas's music, whether
he's flying solo or with the band. I often turn this song up while writing a
first kiss scene.
"State of Grace"
by Taylor Swift. A sweet, romantic song about
finding real love and how it's never easy.
"Mr. Mysterious"
by Vanessa Amorosi. Most Americans have likely
never heard of Vanessa Amorosi, but I love her music. Hazardous is her best album ever and this song from it provided a
spark of inspiration for my story Tempted
by a Kiss.
"Everything" by
Lifehouse. I've adored this song since I first
heard it on the TV series Smallville.
This may be the most romantic song ever; definitely in the top 10!
"Walking on
Mars" by Kelly Sweet. Her second album is even
better than her first, and I wish it had gotten released in this country. This
song epitomizes the concept of being yourself no matter what other people
think. Like most of my fictional heroines, I'm a bit strange, so I can relate.
"You Set Fire to My
Life" by Tina Arena. Another singer most
Americans haven't heard of, this Australian artist continues to produce
terrific albums. This song, from her latest album Reset, works great as inspiration for those final scenes where hero
and heroine come back together, forever this time.
"Rumour Has It"
by Adele. Not only is this song written by Ryan
Tedder of OneRepublic, but it's sung by the incomparable Adele. 'Nuff said.
You can find Anna here:
WebsiteAmazon
Goodreads
