T. Harrison Takes You-"In Her Closet"

I want to welcome T. Harrison to My Odd Little World. Before we get to the interview questions, could you give us a brief bio to get us started. I want to thank her for visiting, and remind folks that one lucky commenter on the tour will win a Kindle.

T. Harrison is an erotic romance author currently living in the south with her impish husband, two smallish men and one smallish boxer pup. She can often be found with her nose pressed to the screen of her Kindle, reading red hot erotica, nail biting thrillers or bone chilling horror and paranormals by the small halo of illumination created by her book light. She writes stave off the boredom of living in a small town. Her stories generally fluctuate from urban/contemporary to paranormal romance but, are always dirty.

The Writer

What is the best thing about being a writer? The worst?

The best thing about being a writer is that instant you know that people are reading and enjoying the story you took so much time to craft.

The worst thing about being a writer is finding enough hours in a day to take care of your family and still feed your creativity and add to your word count every day.

What is your method of breaking through writer’s block?

I came to the realization a while ago that ‘writer’s block’ is just a fancy term for procrastination or laziness and I made an effort to avoid it. I write or do something writing related every day. In the last few years that has helped me to remain productive.

Do you bring your own life experiences to your writing? Your own personality? If so how?

I think most writers inject life experiences and their own personality into their plots and characters. I think that the most common traits I attribute to the characters in my books is my scrappiness and feistiness.

What fuels you as an author to continue to write?

I don’t know that I necessarily have to be fueled to write. Mostly the stories beg to be told. If I don’t tell them I imagine I would become that old lady muttering to herself on the bench at the bus stop.

If you could share one major writing tip, to help other writers in their quest for publication, what would it be?

Write every day and pursue your goals with the tenacity of a marmoset.

If you could write in any other genre what would it be, and why?

Horror. Definitely horror.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

I can be found at www.dirtyscribbler.com and @dirtyscribbler on twitter.

The Person

When you get a chance to read, what books do you love to read?

I love thrillers and paranormals. I’m currently reading Night Season by Chelsea Cain and rereading Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.

What bores you as a reader?

I think I’m getting a little bored with the vampire bit. It seems that what has been done well has already been done. I just re-read my old favoritesJ

What do you think is romantic? What does the word Romance mean to you?

I think the word Romance is overused. It comes with all these expectations like flowers and candy and some manner of extravagance. To me, nothing is more romantic then spending a quiet moment alone with the one that you love and doing nothing but each other. J

Who would you go out on a date with if you could?

My husband. He’s been working overseas for several months and a date with him would be awesome with awesome sauce.

You’re having a dinner party, what five people would you invite?

I have to invite five? My best good friend and her husband. My mom and dad (if they can manage to get along) and my sister. That’s it. Really simple. I don’t live close to any of these people anymore so I’ve gone from seeing them almost every day or weekend to only once a year.

Random Questions

Aliens have landed on the planet. What are the three things you would tell them that are great about this planet?

Booze. True Blood and Rockband. Wow, I sound like a college kid…

If you could create your own drink what would go in it and what would you call it?

Hmm…that’s tough one. I think I would use a drink already in existence like the Skinny Girl Margarita but, it would actually make you skinny when you drink it.

If your life were turned into a cartoon, what cartoon character would you want playing you?

Hmmm…I guess it would be Jem from Jem and the Holograms. Because she’s truly outrageous…truly, truly, truly outrageous. Although any one of the Misfits would do a pinch.

You’ve been given the honor of naming a planet, what would you name it?

Heh…Uranus is already taken so, no clue!

Thanks for visiting here today, and now lets have a tast of In Her Closet.

Fresh off of a night of anonymous sex we join Yves Santiago on the curb for a cigarette. Yves is a self-proclaimed slut who vows to live her life as carelessly as a man and make no apologies for any of it--though her meddling mother and ex-fiancé seem intent on making it difficult for her to do so. She’s determined to avoid anything that looks even remotely like love and escapes most encounters with her heart and her pride intact.

 Then she meets Elijah Weinstein…

Elijah saunters in like a dream proclaiming to be the next great love of her life--a declaration that Yves finds ridiculous, though it doesn't make him any less enticing. With his mossy green eyes, broad, sun-kissed shoulders and a mouth so sensual that it should have an NC-17 rating, Elijah Weinstein is damn near irresistible. She willingly accepts his challenge, certain she will be able to get what she wants without relinquishing her heart.

Excerpt from In Her Closet

I dress casually for my evening at the Erotic Literary Salon. I’m excited about this meeting with Elijah Weinstein but, I don’t want to make too big a deal of it. I don’t believe in fairy tales, romantic or otherwise, so I’m always careful not to get my hopes too high. So in my favorite Bob Marley t-shirt and yummy ripped jeans, I sit down at my usual table and settle in to listen to the poets and wordsmiths until it’s my turn to take the stage.     

I have no idea what Elijah Weinstein looks like. He told me that he would be wearing a green polo shirt. I scan the room but, I don’t see a Jewish guy in a green polo shirt. He’s late or maybe he just changed his mind all together.

“Now calling the poet Yves Santiago.”

I wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans and make my way to the stage. Reading my poetry in front of a crowd still makes me nervous even though I’ve been doing it for years.

“Good evening,” My voice bounces off the back wall and I hate the way it sounds when it makes its way back to me. Any other time I fancy that it sounds deep and sultry but, up here it sounds high and nervous.

“This is more of a ramble than a poem. I call it ‘Sleek and Tawny’.”

I clear my throat, close my eyes and take a deep cleansing breath.

“She’s lost all the parts of her that were pretty.

Her shine and nubile beauty wore off long ago.

Rubbed off--rubbed raw by men.

She’s nothing sweet anymore.

She’s something feral,

something wild.

Sleek and tawny, un animal.

Something constantly in search of something--

someone to devour.

She sees her prey and when he passes her way

the scent of him enlivens her.

She pursues him because in this moment, he

is what she needs.

What she hungers for.

That tender morsel she draws across her teeth

hungrily…

But when her passion is spent

she remains discontent

until a hint of some other succulent scent

rattles her cage.”

I open my eyes. A wave of satisfaction washes over me from the appreciative smiles of the crowd. “Thank you,” I murmur, backing away from the microphone to a chorus of whoops and applause.

A man approaches me as I walk back to my table. Mmm, tasty, I think as he offers me a smile.

“Yves Santiago?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Elijah Weinstein.”

I can barely able to keep my mouth from dropping open. This is Elijah Weinstein? Elijah Weinstein is gorgeous. Fuck gorgeous. He is damn fine. He reaches for my hand and shakes it, holding on for far longer than is necessary for a greeting. Our hands sway gently between us--a frizzle of friction forming between our palms.

“Nice to meet you,” I sigh, trying my best to keep from licking my lips.

 Once again, thanks to T. Harrison for stopping in today. Be sure to leave a comment and include your email address so we can contact the winner. As always, winner will be chosen using RANDOM.ORG