Monday, August 10, 2015

Classic Lit Inspires Cowboy Sexy by Lexi Post



MUSE MONDAY
Please welcome my guest, Lexi Post!
 
Brenda, thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here on Muse Monday.
I like talking about the inspiration for my stories. My erotic romance is inspired by classic literature and though that may sound counter intuitive, it really works for me. My most recent release COWBOY’S MATCH is book two in my Poker Flat series. The whole series is inspired by Bret Harte’s 1869 short story “The Outcasts of Poker Flat.” I always post the original story (or link) on my website for those who are interested http://www.lexipostbooks.com/bret-harte/
In Harte’s story, four members of Poker Flat society—a gambler, a prostitute, a madam, and a drunk--are banned from the western settlement when a sudden urge to be virtuous overtakes the citizens. On their way to the next settlement, they meet with an innocent couple, a young man and his fiancée (a tavern waitress). This cast of characters explores the relationship between the innocent and the tainted in Harte’s story. In the first book in my series, COWBOYS NEVER FOLD, I paired up one of the innocent, a cowboy, with one of the tainted, a female professional poker player and owner of Poker Flat Nudist Resort.
In book 2, COWBOY’S MATCH, I delve into a different theme: judging who is tainted and who is innocent. Cole Hatcher is a cowboy who became a professional firefighter to help support his horse rescue ranch. He decided to be a firefighter because his first girlfriend in high school had been accused of arson and then later the fire was ruled accidental. Lacey Winters, the said girlfriend, has always been a good girl and was hurt by the arson charge, but devastated by Cole dumping her because of it. She goes off to college, earns a degree in accounting and then chooses to work at Poker Flat as their bookkeeper.  When Cole arrives at Poker Flat to put out a fire and sees Lacey again, he immediately assumes the worst. I hope by the end of the story, not only is a reader satisfied with a happy, sexy ending, but also thinks about how we judge
people. I know, way too deep for an erotic romance. What can I say, I was raised on classic literature, but read romance voraciously. The whole theme is buried in the story, so it’s still just a fun, hot read.
COWBOY’S MATCH is currently available in the 12 ALARM COWBOYS box set that just released August 4th for only 99 cents. This is a limited time price. It’s 12 brand new cowboy firefighter stories by 11 amazing authors and myself and they are all hot ;-) Hope you enjoy.
Always, Lexi
Here’s an excerpt from COWBOY’S MATCH.
Finishing her last bite of taco, she took another sip of tea and headed for the kitchen with her empty glass. She refilled her iced tea, narrowly avoiding Rachel.
The last thing she wanted was the staff gossiping about her and Cole. No, her and John. Sugar, she needed to push Cole Hatcher out of her head.
She strolled through the main room with the huge fireplace, pondering whether to do the state taxes or the bills next. As she turned the corner to the back hall, she walked straight into a clothed man. She grabbed her glass with both hands as strong hands on her shoulders kept her from falling. She didn’t need to look up to know it was Cole. His cedar scent and his bulk told her.
“Are you all right?” The concern in his voice mirrored that in his gaze as it roved over her face.
No, she wasn’t all right. She was a complete mess. “Yes, I’m fine.” Her breath came out as a whisper and she cleared her throat. Darn, but he had the most beautiful eyes. The bright green was streaked with tiny flecks of blue, making them hypnotizing.
“Lacey?” He lowered his head, bringing those breathtaking eyes even closer.
She could lose herself in his gaze, especially as it turned dark and his face tensed. She remembered that look. He was going to kiss her.
She tried to make her mouth form the word her heart craved, but her mind triggered a warning bell as loud as a fire alarm. As he lowered his strong chin with his firm lips toward her own, her throat finally opened.
“No.” The word came out more like a caress than a command, but he stilled, his lips only inches away from hers. She swallowed. “Please don’t.”
He pulled back as if she’d slapped him. “Am I so odious?”
She shook her head. “I can’t go there with you again, unless you can honestly tell me you believe I didn’t start the fire in Orson.” A glimmer of hope flamed to life in her heart as he hesitated.
Turning his hat in his hand, he met her gaze and sighed. “I can’t, Lacey.”
That stubborn flame of hope extinguished quickly in the pool of hurt in her chest. “Then please leave me alone.”
Indecision flashed in his eyes before he nodded. Without saying another word, he donned his hat and strode out of the building.
Amazon Pre-Order Links:
US -
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysUS
UK -
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysUK...
AU -
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysAU
CA -
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysCA
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysNook
Kobo
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysKobo
iBooks
https://itun.es/us/9JMo7.l
ADD to Your Goodreads List:
http://tinyurl.com/12AlarmCowboysGoodReads
About Lexi
Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of erotic romance. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.
But Lexi's first love is romance novels. In an effort to marry her two first loves, she started writing erotic romance inspired by the classics and found she loved it. Lexi believes there is no end to the romantic inspiration she can find in great literature. Her books are known as "erotic romance with a whole lot of story."
Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for having me, Brenda :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post, Lexi, and congratulations on your hot new story! http://flossiebentonrogers.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great post, Lexi, and congratulations on your hot new story! http://flossiebentonrogers.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Flossie :-) I'm very excited about the new release!

      Delete