Cover of Holding My Breath

Peek Into the Mind of a Casanova—Quinn from Holding My Breath is Here!

It’s official—all the hot people come to my site.

How do I know? Because today I have a very special guest—and he’s sexy. Plus, he’s a good speaker. He dresses well. He’s clever. And…well, he’s all sorts of things, really, but what you need to know is that many, many women pay good money for the pleasure of his company.

Here’s a brief introduction:HMBbanner04

Uh-huh. That’s right—I’d like you to meet Quinn! This professional Casanova thrives in A.M. Hartnett’s most recent book, Holding My Breath, and today I asked if I might be able to book some time with Quinn (free of charge) to ask him a few questions.

Lucky you, he said yes. And as if his answers weren’t delightful enough, I’ve also got a sexy blurb and excerpt for you. So, please read on and enjoy your introduction to the super sexy Quinn…

Hello Quinn. I’m so glad you joined me. And I have to say, um, wow. You have a definitive look, and it’s smokin’. How did you create your “style”?

Simple and classic is what I’m going for. For all the trends that have come and gone, women still get wet when they see a man in a well-cut suit. They like playing with the cufflinks and the lapels, and they like watching it come apart a piece at a time — the tie comes loose and the top button undone, the jacket slung on the back of a chair and the shirt-sleeves rolled up. A woman loves seeing a $3000 suit tossed aside for fucking as much as a man likes to see a $3000 dress on the floor next to the bed.

Good point. Speaking of things to see…women love scars, and your knuckles have certainly been marked. Care to share more about that set of scars?

Would you believe I used to be trailer trash? Up until I turned 18, I was a nasty little shit. I used my fists to get what I wanted, and once I had it I used my fists to keep it. It landed me in hot water and I was forced to learn that I couldn’t always have what I want, when I wanted it. It helps now that I have the money. Anyway, I’ve learned that the scars are a nice addition to the total package. They show that I’m not just pretending to be a bad boy, that at some point in my life I was a bad boy.

Let’s be real—women are hiring you, but when they see you, they melt. How does that feel for you?

Honestly, why would I want to be someone’s dildo? There’s more money in selling the entire fantasy. I can be anything a woman wants. All she has to do is pay her money up front.

Oh, Quinn. So matter-of-fact. I love that about you. But…tell us about the first time you saw Molly. What was your instant reaction to her?

It wasn’t like a kick in the gut or love at first sight. I was sitting in the bar at the hotel when I saw an attractive woman pass by. I paid her a bit of attention, then went on with my business. The next time I saw her, the same. So on and so forth. She’s a knock-out and I wanted to fuck her. That’s it.

What about when you discovered Molly had “hired” you to kick you out of the hotel? What did you think upon entering the room?

It took me a few minutes to figure out where I knew her from, so when I entered the room I figured I was just meeting another client. Normally I meet them in the bar, but she rejected this, so on first sight I figured this was a married woman who didn’t want to be seen out with another man. Then I realized it was the front desk manager I’d been eyeballing. My first reaction after that was mixed. I was equal parts “oh goody, now I get to play with that” and “oh fuck, she’s about to tell me to piss off.”

That meeting was so good. So good… As was the first time you give Molly your name. It’s…well, people will have to read it, but let’s just say that moment is pretty damn hot. You totally got off on playing that power card, didn’t you? And that’s a lot of Molly’s attraction to you—what comes out of your mouth. Were you born this clever and sexy, or what?

My grandfather, who was one of those people who only spoke when it was necessary, mostly raised me. When he spoke there was a sort of music to it. He had a deep voice and a thick Newfoundland accent. Listening to him was like listening to Shakespeare, if that makes sense. I think I developed what’s been called a “silver tongue” from him, but I talk a lot more. I never shut up, probably because in Pa’s house I was the only one doing the talking most of the time. I like to talk.

And I like dirty talk, obviously. With Molly, it was more of a case of talking to tangle her up a little so I could do the unravelling. When I finally gave her my name — and as you’ve mentioned, I made a little production of it — was the beginning of me loosening the knots I’d made.

*Leans forward.* You say you’re able to “unlock” a woman. Tell us more about that. When did you first discover you had this ability? How did you hone it?

In another time I might have been the perfect scam artist. I can read people. I’m really good at reading people. I can use silence to work out what they want, and then fill in the holes by talking around them. I pay attention. I test out different tones. I throw out little nibbles, one at a time, until the women I’m with has had her fill. It’s different with every woman — Molly, for instance, will gorge herself on what I dish out and it’ll sometimes get away from me.

What is it about Molly that’s different from your normal clients and that’s drawing you in? You almost seem bewildered by how much you instantly like her—almost. What about her is drawing such a reaction out of you?

I’ll admit it, Molly had me twisted around her little finger the second she opened her mouth. She tells me she was a little nerved up when I walked in, but I didn’t get any of that. She played my game right from the start but kept up with me. She wasn’t taking any crap, that much was clear from the start, but there was a calm and softness about her that had quite the effect on me. I just wanted to sit back and negotiate with her. I remember thinking that this was a little like foreplay.

That’s another thing I liked about Molly. She didn’t look down at me. It would have been easy to just have security have a word with me but she treated me with respect, and when I made my case about sticking around until New Year, she listened.

And what was your reaction when Molly called you up to a hotel room—for the second time?

Another confession — I was worried she wouldn’t, so I blew out a sigh of relief when I got that text. I don’t become infatuated that often, but I couldn’t get her out of my head for the rest of the evening. The next day, thinking about meeting her again, I could barely concentrate. She made me ticklish.

Aww. All right, so you are threatening to quit your gig at 36. Why 36? Why not 40? What’s special about 18 years?

I started doing this when I was eighteen, so basically I had been doing this half my life. That seems long enough, don’t you think?

Fair enough. Say, if you could go back to 18-year-old you, what would you tell him?

I don’t think I’d tell him anything. It might knock some sense into his head and change things. Up until recently, I could make a list a mile long of things I’d change about the last eighteen years, but now I think I’m good. It took me longer than most to get where I need to be and I needed all the highs and the lows.

And good you are, Quinn. Thank you so much for joining us.

*

There you have it, everyone! Quinn is a delight of a man in this dirty new book from A.M. Hartnett. Holding My Breath is available on Amazon right now, and you can find out more in the blurb and excerpt below!

Read the blurb:

“It’s a skill not every man possesses, and it can’t be taught. That’s why I’m good at what I do.”

For half his life Quinn has been making his living as a professional Casanova. Challenged by Molly to take his business elsewhere, he strikes a bargain with her: give him until New Year’s Eve and she’ll never see him again, and in the meantime he’ll make it worth her while.

As their arrangement becomes a passionate affair, there’s no denying that Molly’s been waiting for him to come into her life for a very long time. She never imagined that a man like Quinn would be the one.

Cover of Holding My Breath

Read an excerpt: 

Her phone rang just before noon, as she was pushing through the back door with her arms loaded with groceries.

It was Quinn. She knew it by the ringtone she had set a few days earlier: The Tragically Hip’s ‘Fireworks’. The lively tune was muffled in the pocket of her anorak, but she could hear the words in her head. He’d cooked her dinner one night, and when she told him she’d never heard the song he put it on repeat and told her about how he’d once dragged himself, barely lucid with the flu, to their concert when he was in his early twenties.

Not caring about whether she cracked her eggs or squashed her bread, Molly tossed the black fabric bags onto the counter and dug into her pocket for the phone.

‘Hey there,’ she answered.

‘It’s Saturday, isn’t it?’

‘A question like that just goes to show you’re not a man who works the nine-to-five, otherwise you’d know it in your bones that it was Saturday.’

‘Words cannot express how horny I was when I woke up a little while ago. I’m sitting here in my empty apartment with my hard-on in my hand thinking about how much better I’d feel if it was in your mouth.’

Molly shivered as she unzipped her coat. ‘And this call is to ask for assistance with this problem?’

A low laugh tickled in her ear. ‘I know exactly what you’re doing right now. You’re biting your lip and squeezing your legs together.’

‘Oh, you think you’re so smart,’ she replied, but he was right. Even over the phone he made her feel as though he was right behind her, lips close to her ear, what little space between them electric.

She was sure that if he were there with her, he’d already be undressing her. It made her wet just thinking about it.

‘I want you to drop what you’re doing and meet me in the park. I want to bring you to my place.’ He sucked in a quick breath, and then let out a low moan. ‘I’ve got one hell of a view from my sofa, and I want to make it better by putting you on your knees in front of me.’

Once she hung up, Molly felt electric. The commute was the same one she took to work and she could have been at his place in just over half an hour, but she had the sense that this was going to be an occasion, and she wanted to dress the part. She wanted to be a bombshell for him, for herself, and so she slipped into a black bra and thong set and accentuated it with a matching belt and stocking set. She covered it all up with a green bateau dress, then tucked herself back into her anorak.

Luckily, they were going through a mild spell and the wait by Lake Ontario didn’t leave her with pins and needles in her nearly bare thighs and ass. He appeared on the boardwalk, jogging towards her in navy-blue track pants with white stripes and a grey T-shirt patched with sweat stains.

For a moment he didn’t see her, which gave her the luxury of getting over the shock of viewing him in this element. She didn’t get to see it that often. When he came in from a run while at her place he bolted right to the shower and emerged brand new. The most she got was a blur.

The dirty sneakers and the reddish hair curling around the edges were such a far cry from the spit and polish of his trade. There was Quinn the smooth, the heartthrob women paid to spend a few hours with, and then there was Quinn who lounged, rumpled and gorgeous, in the bed she had slept alone in for so long.

She liked this incarnation, and rose to meet him. As his attention fell on her, he slowed down to a trot.

‘You must be frozen,’ she said as he slowed, a smile forming on his lips, and leaned into him when he was close enough. ‘What happened to your hard-on?’

‘I had a brief chat with my dick and told him if he was patient, he’d have something better than my hand to contend with.’ He slipped his arm around her, and she parted her lips for him, but he quickly pushed her away. ‘I stink, and I don’t want to sweat all over you – yet.’ He took her hand. ‘I’ll shower, and unless I come up with something better, I’m going to spread you out on my dining-room table and fuck you half-dressed.’

She glanced around to see if anyone had heard, and was strangely disappointed to discover that no one had. Other joggers, some alone and some in pairs, ran past them on the path, oblivious to the sexual negotiations that had opened up. The moment was so significant to her that it was almost insulting that no one noticed the earth shift a little under their feet.

**

Mmm hmm…that’s Quinn for you. Wow. You can find out more about all books in the Carried Away series right here. Don’t miss out on this series, it’s hot!

XX,
Jade

“I always look forward to what A.M. Hartnett is going to say next. This is the truth. Whether in an email, a blog post, on Twitter, or in one of her erotic stories, I am always curious to see what Hartnett will come up with. She’s got me on the edge of my seat (in more ways than one).” – Alison Tyler, author Dark Secret Love.

A.M. Hartnett began writing erotica upon receiving what, at the time, she considered very bad advice from a career counselor. Since 2006, her short stories have appeared on the web and in various anthologies, including Kristina Wright’s Best Erotic Romance series and Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Curvy Girls.

Find out more about A.M. Hartnett at http://www.thebewilderedwriter.com.

Cover of A.M. Hartnett's Uncover Me

A.M. Hartnett is Here!

Exciting news, everyone! Today I have a special guest—the wonderful A.M. Hartnett!

A.M. Hartnett and I have been chattering for a few months now, and she’s someone I look up to in the erotica world—she’s cool, she’s clever, and she’s a damn good writer. She’s also sassy and funny as all hell, which basically wins me right over. 🙂

A.M. is on a wild tour right now for not one, but THREE books, and I’m delighted she’s here to talk with us about all of them. The first book is a standalone erotic romance called Uncover Me, for which she’s shared a smokin’ hot blurb, and the other books form the first two-thirds of her Carried Away series. Lucky for us, I managed to wrangle her into an interview to ask a few questions about the books, her process, and some other nifty facts about her.

Thanks for coming by today, A.M.!

So, let’s start with Uncover Me, which was just released last month. I love that the book has such a fun exhibitionist premise. Carrie Thorn is an exhibitionist with a capital E—she likes to take naughty photos and post them on a blog. What inspired her character?

One word: Tumblr. As I mentioned at my post over at Mischief, I had been alerted to the existence of Tumblr’s sex blog community by Rachel Kramer Bussel and became an instant fan. My favourites are the ones of real people showing off, and that’s where Carrie came from.

Tell us more about Carrie’s blog—is she no holds barred or constantly getting wilder with her pics? How did you come up with such an idea? (It’s fabulous.)

When we first meet Carrie, it’s a solo project. She likes frilly things and showing off her body, occasionally bringing toys into the mix. As the first line says, she doesn’t consider it porn. I wouldn’t say she’d consider it art or photography, either. That’s pretty reflective about my feeling about the sex blogs I follow. Yes, they’re visually stimulating, but oftentimes they’re more erotic than in-your-face and she’s doing it because it turns her on to do it. She likes the idea of her readers getting horny while they look at her pictures.

What is Carrie’s favorite photo posted on her blog?

I think if you were to ask Carrie, she would never be able to come up with one single picture, though after she meets Brendan she’d probably give the gold star to the picture that brought her to his blog

‘You weren’t completely naked. Your bra was pushed down to your ribs and your panties were twisted around your knees. You had your hand between your legs. It was like you were waiting for someone. I got so hard thinking about what came next I unzipped right there in my office and jerked off.’ He shook himself and looked at her. His smile turned mischievous. ‘You’re blushing.’

‘Of course.’

Hot. Brendan sounds like the perfect partner for Carrie’s kink. Can you tell us a little about the moment they meet (without giving it all away, of course)?

They have two meetings: the online meeting and then the face to face. Carrie indulges in her kink at work one day and accidentally gets a shot of a local landmark in the background. Oops. Brendan recognizes it immediately and sends her a hello, along with a naughty offering of his own, and manages to convince her to meet him somewhere public. It’s pretty unnerving for Carrie – she knows right from the start that Brendan is interested in being more than friends, and already knows her most intimate secret. As he points out after some back and forth, they’ve met for sex.

Now I’m curious…if Carrie met Brendan while speed dating, would she find him as intriguing as she does when he finds out her secret?

Probably not. Brendan is good looking, and she might take a second look, but as she puts it :

Close up, she could see the lines around his mouth and a few flecks of grey in his hair. He was about her age, maybe a couple of years older, and definitely someone she would have given a second glance if they had passed one another on the street.

She’s never look at him and think, ‘This is the man who will breathe life back into me,” because before Brendan, she refuses to think that way about any man.

Thanks for sharing about Uncover Me! But, I also want to know more about the Carried Away series. In the first book, the protagonist, Grace, is all about misbehaving around the office—until she finds out that her boss, Taureau, has been watching her on hidden cameras. He asks her to give him a show and she says yes—what about him makes her willing to do it?

She definitely likes to hear him talk lol. As soon as he makes his presence known, he uses the only thing in his arsenal, his voice, to twist her into knots. Aside from the sexy voice, he also manages to convey a potent amount of confidence for someone who has been scarred physically and emotionally, and at the same time Grace recognizes his loneliness: he’s reaching out not just because he liked to watch her but because he likes her and wants to get to know her at a safe distance.

‘You’re not married.’ It was a statement, not a question.

She shrugged. ‘I prefer my independence.’

‘As do I. Some people just don’t get it, do they? Like the mother you were talking to earlier. She doesn’t understand why someone would choose to be alone.’

‘I don’t –’ She caught herself before she could tell him she didn’t choose to be alone. She simply was alone, because that was the life she had made. She had very few regrets, and when she did they were fleeting.

‘I have people in my life like that,’ he said, and laughed. It was a cynical sound he seemed to cover up after a moment. ‘Though I suppose it would be absurd to compare our situations, wouldn’t it? There’s a big difference between thriving on constant activity like you do and . . . well, me. Still, there’s something to be said for solitude, isn’t there, Miss Neely?’

I’m a sucker for a good voice, so this is right up my alley. 🙂 I’m also tickled that Taureau sends a stand-in man while he’s away (Grace is one lucky girl). Can you tell us more about Simon? Has he always been such a great…um…assist for his boss?

Oh, Simon. Le sigh. He’s the guy who made the series a series. I couldn’t just let him get away. *I* wanted to know more. There’s so much going on with Simon that the reader won’t get more than a hint at until the final book when I tell his story. He’s Taureau’s oldest friend in addition to being his stand-in (in and out of Grace’s bed) and seems content to do so, but there’s so much more to him than I show in the first two books.

Love that! Also, I noticed this series has alternate POVs in each book—but at the same location. Did you plan this from the start? I remember seeing on Facebook that you weren’t originally planning a series—what made you choose this route rather than a progression?

The Deep End, the first book, was supposed to be a one-shot deal. Grace and Taureau’s story began and ended in that book, but as I was writing Quinn and Molly’s story next, guess who crashed the party? Simon Reeve. Rather than chase him off, I just let him in on the fun (and what fun it is …)

So, in short, I chased Simon through three books. I grabbed him and shook him and asked “WHO ARE YOOOOOUUU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH MEEEEE?” Apparently the answer is that he wanted his happy ending, too.

Apparently! So…what was the most exciting part of writing this series?

Definitely revisiting old characters. The thrill started when Simon appeared in Holding My Breath, and continued as I said hello to Taureau and Grace again in Breaking Through. The latter was quite special, as I was able to delve a little deeper into Taureau and Simon’s bromance and look at how they supported one another beyond what Grace observes in The Deep End. As well, readers get a glimpse of where Quinn and Molly ended up after their HEA.

Of all of these characters, who was your favorite to write, and why?

While Simon is my special little pet, Jacques was definitely my favourite to write. For one, I had no idea who he was when I started The Deep End, I only knew that I was writing a book and also the most alpha male I’d ever conceived. I discovered how strong he was and how sensitive he could be. It was so interesting to watch him through Grace’s eyes and watch him struggle and conquer over and over again, and coming back to him in Breaking Through to see how he’s doing was a treat for me.

I heard you had awesome photos for real places in The Deep End. When can we see them?

The Deep End takes place in the fictional Convent House, not far from Shediac, New Brunswick. Technically 😉 I picked this location primarily because I love driving through it, but as for the actual Convent House, it’s a few hours away in Avondale, Nova Scotia, and it’s really The Mission House. Check out this link to see the inspiration the hideaway Jacques brings to when their digital affair ends and things get physical between them.

That is gorgeous! Wow! Okay…now I think it’s time for everyone to learn a little more about you! Let’s talk process—do you tend to work on one story at a time, or do you have your hands dirtied (heh) with many projects all at once?

If I’m not contracted on anything, I’m usually plotting about five potential projects, but once I settle on something and it’s on, it’s on. I don’t write linear, but I wouldn’t say I’m all over the place, either. I kind of look upon my writing process as a jigsaw puzzle: I work in chunks until I get a tidy square to work in, and then I just put the picture together wherever I see a connection.

And the ever-important writer drink question: coffee or something stronger while you work?

No coffee while writing. The only time I do coffee these days is first thing in the morning (and you will pry my morning coffee from my cold, dead hands). While I’m writing, it’s going to be good old black tea.

You just won a ticket to fly wherever you want to write for a month, all expenses paid! Where do you go?

Nope, nope, nope, nope. No writing on vacation. This is one of my rules: if I go away, all work ceases. Why waste a perfectly good vacation on work? So give me your money and send me to the south of France, and damn well expect me to come back with a tan and a twenty year-old toy boy named Pascal.

Please be sure to tell me all about that. In the meantime, what are you reading right now, and what do you prefer to read?

I’m on a non-fiction kick right now, which is the first time this has happened in a long time. I’m reading all about the public enemies of the depression era South & Midwest – Bonnie and Clyde, Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, etc. I also just finished the absolutely wonderful Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen, about Captain Hook in Neverland. Highly recommended!

I never know what’s going to catch my eye, or what’s going to surprise me, so I’ll pretty much give anything a shot.

Fair enough. Now, final question—because I’m a fiend—what’s your favorite candy?

Reese’s Peanut Butter cups (do people actually pick something other than Reese when asked this question?). Actually, put peanut butter and chocolate together in any scenario and I’m happy. Ice cream? Bring it. Cheesecake? Oh yeah. Slathered all over Nick Youngquest’s naked body? Come to meeeee.

*Snort.* Okay, do you all see why I love A.M. Hartnett? I’m just so happy to have had her here. And now, she’s passed along a sexy excerpt and blurb for Uncover Me!

Cover of Uncover Me by A.M. Hartnett

Excerpt

Fuckable, he’d said.

She felt fuckable. The insides of her thighs were slicker than ever and her clit throbbed with need. She wanted to bring the house down with him pounding her.

Once inside she led the way, following the orange glow to her bedroom where she had left the light on. He nudged her over the threshold and, as she shrugged out of her coat, she heard the click of the bedroom door locking.

Such a strange thing to do, she thought, and then she realised that the small sound represented her willing captivity. The closed door barred them from the outside world. In this room, in this tidy little box with its white walls and splashes of colour, with the imposing bed beckoning her, she was his fantasy and he was hers.

She turned and found Brendan leaning against the door. His dark eyes glittered beneath his heavy lids. ‘Take it all off. Slowly.’

‘No cameras?’

‘Maybe later. Right now I don’t particularly feel like sharing.’ He reached up and loosened his tie. ‘Strip.’

Carrie turned her back on him. The descent of her zipper from the middle of her back to her ass seemed to take for ever. Goose flesh rose as she wriggled out of it. Behind her came the sinful whisper of his clothes being peeled away from his body, then the crinkle of a condom wrapper.

The urge to turn around and look at him made her ache as she unhooked her bra. She tossed it aside and placed her hands on her hips, waiting.

He came up behind her and from the corner of her eye she saw the flash of red. He had her paddle in his hand. She suppressed a shudder.

‘I want you on the bench at the end of the bed. On your knees, grasping the footboard. Show me your ass.’

‘Brendan?’

He scraped his teeth against the curve of her shoulder. ‘Carrie.’

‘Remember what I said about pain.’

‘I remember.’ His fingertips dug in. ‘But you want a little, don’t you? You bought this. I won’t hurt you. Trust me. Go on.’

Trust me.

In her head, she heard his voice chant this over and over as she did what she had been told.

*

Blurb

There’s a heart inside every fantasy.

The photos are becoming a compulsion for Carrie. As soon as she wakes up, she feels the need to engage with the readers of her erotic website, Dirty Pictures. No matter how hard she tries to focus on her real life the need is always there. The high is knowing that men desire her.

One day a comment on her erotic website makes Carrie go cold: one of her readers, Brendan, has recognised a landmark in the window of one of her pictures. Brendan knows where to find her and has sent a tantalising private message. His invitation to play was so tempting in no time at all, in a variety of settings, their sensual adventures become wild. Her sexual and emotional reawakening reaches peaks she never imagined possible.

But Carrie finds it difficult to treat their relationship as casual. Terrified of heartbreak, she breaks off her affair with Brendan. Her previous relationship left her in tatters and she’s too scared to take such a chance again. Brendan endured a broken marriage so she’s not alone in her confusion and reticence. But can Carrie ever hope to be more than his fantasy girl?

Buy Links

Uncover Me

The Deep End (Book 1 of the Carried Away Series)

Holding My Breath ( Book 2 of the Carried Away Series)

Want to know more about AM Hartnett?

You can find her at : www.amhartnett.com

Thanks so much for joining us and sharing, Annemarie! I encourage everyone to check out all three of these books!

XX,
Jade