The Genesis of a Book - Leather and Lace by Marie Lavender

Start with a Title

My newest book is Leather and Lace, a romantic suspense.  It was released in November.  It is about a cop and the stripper he pursues because not only does he believe she is involved in a crime, he also can’t shake his desire for her.  But, there is a lot going on under the surface of things.  Patrick knows Angie is into something she can’t get out of, and yet she won’t tell him the truth.  His only choice is to try to gain her trust.  Angie, however, is a tricky girl and she makes him work for it.

When I first had the idea for Leather and Lace, all I had in mind was the title.  That’s not normally how I work.  The title is usually last.  But, I thought it was an awesome title and I went with it.  The premise of the story started to fall into place right away.  I had always been fascinated with women who use their sexuality to make money.  And I don’t mean prostitution, but exotic dancing.  Though I have done a strip tease (*blush) for my fiancé before, I just find it interesting that there are women comfortable enough to do that as a profession.  I don’t think I’d have the courage.

 

The fun thing about writing is that when you’re researching and composing, you kind of fall into the roles of the characters.  For a brief time, you can imagine yourself as those people.  So, it was really exciting to “become” Angie for the time I was writing Leather and Lace.  She is a multi-faceted character, and our hero, Patrick, has to work pretty hard to see those layers.  But, he was just as complicated a character and I had to not only give him cop instincts, but find out more about the location they were in.

 

I had a grand time researching Boston.  In fact, I found it so interesting, I plan to write about it again.  I wanted Patrick and Angie to live and work somewhat close to each other and after a bit of maneuvering, I figured out a way to do it.  I tried to use real places to give the story some authenticity.  For the rest, I used some creative license.  There is a restaurant that the couple goes to in the story, and I plan to go there too when I visit.  It is so amazing what you can find online these days.  I used the menu and pictures of the restaurant to describe it the best way I could.

As for Patrick, it was pretty fun researching what precinct or “district” he would work in as well as showing exactly the way a detective worked.  Patrick was not just a cop though.  He was a man with a pretty interesting background and I did my best to show that.

Overall, I found Leather and Lace to be one of my greatest joys.  I hope you find it just as exciting to read.

Blurb

 

When Detective Dreyling sees Evangeline Lewis standing over a dead body, his whole life changes. Determined to not only find out what she knows about the crime but also to make her his, he will go to any lengths, even bribe her boss, to have more time with her.

Angie fights the overwhelming desire she feels for Patrick, but there are some things in this world you can’t fight. There are rare kinds of attraction. No matter how much she tries to keep her heart from him, she can’t help the feelings that strike her.

What makes it all harder is the secret she keeps from him, the reason she has put herself in some pretty bad situations. Can she come clean with him in time or will the lie destroy any chance they have at happiness?

http://www.amazon.com/Leather-Lace-Erica-Sutherhome-ebook/dp/B00GV2W9BE

Author Bio

 

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories. Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child's play. Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one. She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted - to be a writer. While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal. After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.

Since then, Marie has published seventeen books. Marie Lavender's real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories. Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them. Upon Your Return is her first historical romance novel. Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life. Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender: Upon Your Return

Erica Sutherhome: Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom; Leather and Lace

Kathryn Layne: A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse: Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
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https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58
https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upon-Your-Return/221212331354873
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http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender
http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/1578-marie-lavender
http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lavender/e/B00C10Q94I/
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00BFX8YLI
http://store.solsticepublishing.com/upon-your-return/
https://www.createspace.com/4284739

“A true man does not need to romance a different girl every night, a true man romances the same girl for the rest of her life.” -Ana Alas