There's all this stuff in my head...: Welcome My Latest Guest: Starla Kaye!

I want to welcome Starla Kaye. First, I’d love you to introduce yourself.

I’m very happy to be here today, Barbara. I wear many hats professionally and as a writer. I am the community coordinator for a Midwestern accounting firm, a gerontologist who volunteers with an active group of senior adults, a mentor/teacher of writing, and a multi-published author. I write romances of many sub-genres: contemporary, historical Western, medieval, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, and Regency. To date I have published 20 novels, 38 novellas, 8 anthologies, and 18 short stories.

Tell us about your latest release.

Cowboys in Charge is a short story collection, which includes seven stories of strong, loving cowboys and the women who try their patience. This is actually a new, updated, much revised version of the collection first published in 2011. The stories are contemporary, erotic romance, western, with bdsm that is basically discipline spanking in loving relationships.

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?

I have many favorite villains in movies, but I’m going to admit I have a favorite villain from one of my own stories: The Great Scottish Devil (a medieval romance, from Blushing Books), Alastair Sutherland. In a vengeful act against Braden MacKay he stole Annabel (the heroine) as a baby and gave her to some traveling tinkers. Let’s just say he was not a nice person.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?

That is a hard question because I like all of them. During the writing process, each of them become friends, family, and special to me. Brody Durward, The Great Scottish Devil, is probably my favorite hero. He faced so many trials in his life: fighting in the Crusades, believed dead, returning to his home in Scotland without his memories, and finding Annabel, who doesn’t understand the word “cooperate.”

3.) What do genre do you write? What made you pick that one?

As I said earlier, I write in many romance sub-genres. I will admit that the majority of my stories involve cowboys, whether in the American West or contemporary. There is just something appealing to me about a good-looking man in worn jeans, a sexily tipped hat, scuffed boots, and having a somewhat gruff, stubborn personality. My women have got to bring them to their knees.

4.) What are you working on now?

I work on multiple projects at the same time, because I slip from one story line to another when I reach a “thinking point” while writing. At the moment, I am nearly finished with Trusting Love Again for Black Velvet Seductions. This is a contemporary story about an emotionally abused divorcee trying to start a new life by returning to her hometown. The hero suffered a cruel loss from his ex-wife’s betrayal. This is a story of challenge and recovery.

I am also working on a third story to go with my first two medieval books for Blushing Books (Maggie Mine and The Great Scottish Devil). The Highlander’s Rose is actually a contemporary story with ties back to the medieval stories.

5.) What got you to start writing?

I’ve been writing for a very long time, but only seriously for the last twenty. I inherited my father’s imagination and just have to do something with it. I also mentor a lot of local writers and love doing it.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?

My ideas come from things I’ve read about, places I’ve traveled to, or people I’ve observed. Story ideas are never something I lack. What I lack is the time to write about everything and everyone.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?

That I also write a cow romance series. My Blossom the Cow stories started out as writing exercises in a writers group I belong to and have continued on (per their request) just for fun. They’re really great fun to write. Now I’m rewriting them as children’s books.

8.) Do you have any special talents?

I’m not sure I’d call them “special” talents, but I make small art quilts based on travel photos. I also make other small quilts: family collages, quilts of my books covers, and others.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?

Write because you enjoy it and don’t count on getting rich doing so. Sometimes writing is stressful, but I wouldn’t continue with this if I didn’t enjoy it. And I just want to make enough money to pay for the traveling I like to do. So far that is working out fine.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?

I know she is somewhat controversial, but I’d like to talk to Angelina Jole. She fascinates me with how she combines a big family life, her work as an actor, and with her work for others.

11.) What song would you say describes your life?

Let it go. Maybe that isn’t the actual title, but I love it. I don’t like to dwell on the bad things that happen to us all or in the world. I try to get along with everyone and them for who they are. And I forgive myself for my many, many mistakes through the years. I’m not perfect. So what?

12.) If you could come back as any animal – what would it be?

I love so many different animals that this is actually a hard question. Maybe a cat. I’m pretty independent, but I like being with people, too. When I choose, how I choose. I’m free-spirited, but protective of those I care about.

BLURB:

Snowed in with Her Cowboy

James wants Kelly to quit work and start a family, but she resists the idea. Will he give up the idea of a family or will he give up Kelly?

Too Much Red at Christmas Time

Lizzie has a bizarre addiction to Christmas shopping and she can’t help herself, even knowing she will face the wrath of her husband who believes in domestic discipline.

For the Love of His Cowgirl

Amber missed the fun little games she and Adam used to play. There never seemed to be time for steamy sex, or even the spankings he’d occasionally given her for various infractions of rules or for misbehavior.

Could she entice him back, get the dwindling fires of their love going again?

Cowboys and Their Toys

Jennifer loved Jason and she’d trusted him as he led her into the BDSM lifestyle. But now he wanted to take things to a more intense level and she balked at it. Would she lose him if she didn’t agree to go 24/7?

Naughty, Naughty Cowgirl

Spankings had not solved all of their problems. Justin had known something was wrong with Nicci. He knew he should have tried to talk to her sooner, but he’d avoided that until she moved out and shattered him.

All I Want for Christmas (Biggest Prize Ever)

Krystal loved the bad-ass bull rider, but she wasn’t into sharing Ryan with all of the rodeo bunnies who lusted after him. She’d spent too many years living for his visits home. It was time to move on and find someone she could depend on to be there all of the time.

A Special Gift for Her Cowboy

Christina wanted time and attention from Joshua but he’d become sour, lost his sense of humor, rarely made love to her. He hadn’t even spanked her in months. She’s not willing to give up on her cowboy. Maybe a Christmas gift on the edgy side will help win him back.

EXCERPT – Snowed in with Her Cowboy

“Kelly, honey…” He hesitated because he didn’t want to fight with her, especially before she went into Kansas City for another long day of work.

“Don’t ‘Kelly, honey,’ me!” She stepped back into the closet. “We are not discussing this again! I’m not doing this to trample on your ego, cowboy. This isn’t about you. It’s about me.”

After three years of marriage, he had a pretty good handle on his wife. She liked her independence and he gave her as much as possible. She spoke her mind without much thought first, which he also tolerated for the most part. She was easily twice as smart as him in many ways, which he admired. Her biggest flaw was once she made a decision, she stuck to it, even if that decision proved to be a bad one. Like this job. He was tired of watching her come home exhausted from the tension of a frustrating day at the office. He worried about her on the hour drive back to the ranch.

“You’re wrong.” He set the steaming cup of coffee on the dresser next to the door. “This is about both of us. You’re my wife, dammit. It’s my job to watch out for you, to step in when you’re—”

“Watch it, macho boy!” She stormed out of the closet and tossed a skirt and blouse on the rumpled bed. Her brown eyes sparked with fire as she faced him. “I don’t have time for you to go all Man in Charge on me this morning. I still need to take a shower and get dressed.”

He curled his hands into fists at his sides. She’s tired. She’s stressed. But, damn, so am I! “Watch yourself. You’re pushing this old boy right to his limits.”

Her eyes continued to flash with irritation, her posture rigid. Then slowly she seemed to go limp. Her lower lip quivered. Tears glimmered in those weary eyes. All of the spit and fire went right out of her. “James,” she whispered.

What the hell? Her sudden change surprised him as much as it worried him. He moved in front of her, his irritation gone. He wrapped his arms around her and clutched her to him. He could stand a lot of rough things in life, but the sight of his woman in tears gut punched him. Tears after he spanked her for one reason or another was different, those he expected and understood. For any other reason, though, they unmanned him, made him feel helpless.

“Baby, I’m sorry.” He stroked her bare back, smoothed his hand over the wavy mass of long dark hair. Its silkiness, its sweet scent always got to him. But not anymore than the feel of her much smaller body in only lacy bra and panties did. His erection beneath his jeans immediately pressed between them. “It’ll be okay. I’ll make it okay.” How, he didn’t know.

She snuggled even closer, trembling. “I don’t deserve you.”

Book Title: Cowboys in Charge

Publisher: Black Velvet Seductions

Date Published: February 5, 2015 (original December 2, 2011)

Genre: Contemporary, erotic romance, western, bdsm

Heat Rating: 4