Excited today to feature Ella Sheridan and her new release Dirty Little Secret. I’ve seen some excerpts from Ella’s writing and shew!  Get out your fans, ladies because it’s gonna heat up!

Ella was nominated for this year’s coveted Golden Heart award, the Romance Writers of America’s most prestigious award for non-published authors. So you know the girl’s got some street cred. I’ve just downloaded Dirty Little Secret and am looking forward to ignoring my family and binge-reading. Here is what awaits me on my Kindle:

Cailin Gray transferred to the new Atlanta branch of her company to work for the senior vice president, Alex Brannigan. But before her job begins, she allows the anonymity of the big city to lure her into a night of dancing–and the arms of a mystery lover hotter than anything this country girl could imagine. When she wakes alone, his absence hurts more than she thought it would, but not nearly as much as walking into the office Monday morning and discovering her lover is her new, married boss.

Alex has one goal: help his best friend, Sara Beth, keep her inheritance. This plan included a marriage of convenience–check–taking over the vice president’s position–check–and keeping the platonic state of their relationship secret until their position of power is solidified. That last takes time, but the resulting solitude weighs heavily. Until Cailin. He told himself a single night would have to be enough, but fate had other plans. Now he must choose between keeping his dirty little secret and fulfilling his promise to Sara Beth, or finding the strength to free them all from the secrets that bind them.

                                                                    

Thanks so much, Ella, for stopping by the blog this morning. Let’s jump right in.

*What is in store for us lucky ones who have chosen to read Dirty Little Secret? On a scale of 1-10, what’s the heat level?

I’d say a 7—lots of open-door intimacy without kink or some of the trigger words some readers find a bit “over the top.” I’m a little shy that way. ☺

*Ha! Yes, those terms can get a little creepy sometimes. What’s Cailin, our heroine, like? How do you think we’ll relate to her?

Cailin is at a time in her life I think many women identify with: a time of change. Even if she’s not divorced, a woman often faces those moments, maybe their thirty-fifth birthday or their child’s moving out, where she looks back at her life and has a few regrets. When I wrote DLS, that’s where I was in my own life. Cailin is there as well. She’s looking back and realizing she never really gave in to that “wild side,” that part of her that takes chances and lives a little. Of course, when she does…oh boy, is it a doozy! 

*Sounds like it from the blurb! (which, by the way, did not fail to get my attention—yowza!) What parts of writing DLS came naturally, and which did you hit speed bumps with (without giving too much away, of course!)?

The opening scenes, where Cailin and Alex meet, came very naturally. I love delving into an imperfect but alpha male character, and Alex is just that. He is protective and strong and all the things a woman wants from a hero, but he faces a moral dilemma he’s not sure how to deal with. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it either, and that’s where things got rocky—at the end. How could Alex find his happily ever after and still protect his best friend? But don’t worry (even though I did!). I finally came up with an answer, thank goodness.

*Oh, yes. How we love our alpha heroes! What, if anything would you like for your readers to know about DLS?

The thing that has worried me most since DLS sold was how readers would react to Alex’s situation. I’ll admit, I wrote the book as an exercise in creativity. I wanted to see if I could take some of the old “romance tropes” (boss and secretary, marriage of convenience, starting over in a new job/place) and make those into something new and interesting. But a marriage of convenience in a contemporary setting, where the married people aren’t the ones falling in love? Most readers struggle with any semblance of infidelity—I do too. I wasn’t certain if the relationship between Cailin and Alex and Sara Beth would be too much for some readers. I hope by showing Alex’s true relationship with Sara Beth (definitely friends, not lovers), and that Sara Beth has her own happily ever after waiting for her, the readers will see not infidelity, but a man of integrity and strength ready to sacrifice everything he wants just to help his best friend. That is what makes Alex a hero for me.

*I’m confident that we are in good hands with you, and that you handled it superbly! Which authors do you love, in or out of the romance genre and what are you reading now?

I read romance almost exclusively, both for work (I’m a line editor) and because it’s the best escape in the world for this particular high-stress person. I just finished Lexi Blake’s Love and Let Die, which was awesome, let me tell you! Her alpha males are protective and caring, much like Alex, only in a slightly different (*cough—dominating—cough*) way. ☺ I’m a huge fan of author Maya Banks, as well as Cherise Sinclair, Belle Andre, Lauren Dane… I could go on forever! My Golden Heart final, Unbroken, is a gritty paranormal romance (think shape-shifters but based on mythical creatures, set in Nashville—apparently I have a thing for Southern cities), and so I do read a good bit of that as well: Lara Adrian, J. R. Ward, Larissa Ione. So many wonderful books and authors out there, and so very little time to indulge, but books are my go-to indulgence, even over chocolate. Maybe not over man candy, but definitely over chocolate.

*OMG – I would follow Maya Banks into an erupting volcano! I’ll have to check out your other suggestions. What’s next on your writing agenda?

I have several projects on my plate right now, including my paranormal series and an indie series that will release late next year. The sequel to DLS is in the works right now. That will be Damien’s story. Talk about smokin’—Damien is every girl’s fantasy come to life, and we get to indulge in some very sexy fantasies with him. His heroine is sassy and sarcastic and his match in every way. And her secret? Well, you’ll have to wait a little bit to find out, but it’s a doozy as well!

*Well played, Ms. Sheridan. I am officially teased and hooked! I’m off now to start on Dirty Little Secret. Nobody bug me until about midnight tonight!

Dirty Little Secret is available through Loose Id or Amazon or All Romance eBooks

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