Aidee Ladnier began writing fiction at twelve years old but took a hiatus to be a magician’s assistant, ride in hot air balloons, produce independent movies, collect interesting shoes, and amass a secret file with the CIA. A lover of genre fiction, it has been a lifelong dream of Aidee's to write both romance and erotica with a little science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, or the paranormal thrown in to add a zing.
Blog/Website: http://www.aideeladnier.comWe Asked. Aidee Answered.
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Why did you decide to write romance novels?
Because I love to read romance. There's so much hope and promise in characters falling in love, being in love, and living happily ever after.
How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
I think all authors put something of themselves in their work. Although I write science fiction, my characters are still very recognizable as humans with foibles and flaws.
When did you first think about writing?
I started writing at twelve. Predictably, it was science fiction with a kidnapped space princess, a dashing hero, and lots of space ships.
What prompted you to submit your first ms?
I was listening to Kevin Allison's excellent podcast RISK. At the end of every show he says, ""Today's the day. Take a risk."" And I knew my risky thing to do would be to send in the story sitting on my hard drive.
What genre(s) do you write?
I write science fiction and mystery romance. My characters are often LGBT as well.
Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre?
I'd really like to try writing a YA novel. There is a dearth of LGBT YA novels and a desperate need for them.
Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story? Where did the idea come from?
My novel The Klockwerk Kraken actually had a title before it had a story. My friend Gina Storm Grant came up with the title when I told her I'd like to write a novel about a character with tentacles. Yes, I know that's kind of weird, but I'd just attended a panel about taboos at RainbowCon 2014. They encouraged everyone to write outside their comfort zone and so I was determined to meet the challenge. As a result, my character Teo Houdin, the tentacled bartender was born--and he owned a bar, The Klockwerk Kraken.
The Klockwerk Kraken
Erotic Sci-Fi Romance
MLR Press
BLURB
As the supply shipments stop coming, Teo Houdin needs all his tentacles to keep his waystation bar open. Facing a riot by thirsty miners stranded in the backwater of the galaxy, Teo helps a greenie space pilot buy a ship in return for a regular haul of liquor. But he longs for the courage to invite the enigmatic spacer to fill his lonely bed as well.
Still smarting from his newly implanted navigational ports, Jimenez knows owning his own ship will prevent him from ever being bought and sold again. For a former slave, transporting cargo through the emptiness of space sounds like paradise, but after meeting the compassionate and sexy Teo, his heart feels empty, too.
At the edge of the galaxy's spiral arm, can Teo convince Jimenez that the heart has its own tentacles and theirs should be entwined forever?" When the right space pilot walks into his bar, a desperate bartender uses all his wiles (and tentacles) to talk the man into business and his bed--but the spacer is still enslaved by his past and isn't sure he can deal with a two-armed lover, much less one with six.
EXCERPT
Jimenez slid into an empty spot at the pale stone bar and caught sight of the clearest, happiest eyes he’d ever seen, a shade lighter than the man’s tousled brown mop above. A dimple quirked at the side of his full lips, mesmerizing Jimenez. The loud voices behind him slid away and for a moment, it was quiet in his mind. Jimenez flinched when his shoulder was jostled and the spell broke.
“Hey, you okay, buddy? First time? What can I pour for you?”
Jimenez blinked, realizing the tall bartender was speaking to him. The man’s smiling eyes crinkled at the corners of his bronzed face. Jimenez swallowed, and he ducked his chin, trying not to stare again, trying to hide his hot cheeks. He’d never been so close to such a handsome man.
“Did you want a drink?” The bartender quirked an eyebrow.
“Yeah… I mean yes. Whiskey neat.” His voice came out gruffer than he expected.
“Bourbon, Scotch, Rye…?”
“Surprise me.” It was a game Jimenez played. He’d order whiskey and discover what the bartender served. If he reached for the rail bottle closest to hand, it meant he would pour either the cheapest or the local favorite. If he pulled something from the top shelf, the bartender angled for a bigger tip. But if he grabbed a decanter off to the side or behind another bottle, he’d score the bartender’s personal pick.
“Coming right up.”
The bartender raised a tentacle in greeting, calling out to another patron.
Oh, God. The man was a Pod.
Of course he was.
In a joint named the Klockwerk Kraken, who better to tend the bar than a tentacled man?
