Interview with Shayla Black

Happy 5th of July, friends! I am so freaking excited to welcome Shayla Black, bestselling author of the Wicked Lovers series. The newest book in the series, FALLING IN DEEPER hits shelves today! If you haven't read this series, it is an absolute favorite of mine! Side note: Shayla is also one of the Apollycon 2017 authors so I get to fangirl in person next year!

The Interview

Hi, Shayla! I’m going to try and make it through this interview without fangirling too hard. But fair warning: there may be some flails and possibly and fangasm. Just go with it. ;-)

I’m thrilled to be here. Fangirling is perfectly awesome in my book!

1. FALLING IN DEEPER is the 11^th (!) book in the Wicked Lovers series. When you first started this series, did you ever imagine you’d be on book 11?

Actually, not at all! I didn’t even know there would be a book 2. But every time I sit down to write a book in this series, another interesting character steps into the world and I can’t NOT write about them. Stone and Lily (aka Sweet Pea) are both those sorts of characters for me.

2. I love that you often layer in past characters so we can keep track of their lives and what they’re up to. How do you keep all the characters straight? Do you have them all charted out somewhere?

Thanks! The Wicked Lovers are a family to me, and I love that they support and help one another at a moment’s notice, no questions asked. It’s always fun for me to revisit previous characters, too. I can’t put all of them into every book. If I did, I wouldn’t be serving the needs of my current characters, since I’d have to put them off to the side in order to do it, but I include the snippets into the lives of readers’’ old favorites where I can. And yes, I have a HUGE bible for the series to keep all the facts straight. It’s way too much to keep in my head.

3. 11 books in a series (plus a handful of novellas) and you constantly find new stories to tell and characters to tell them with—how do you do that?

Every book feels different to me because every character feels different. They are such individuals with their own stories to tell. When I’m plotting a book, characters walk into my head and start telling me their issues and the next thing I know…I have a book! It’s a zany process but it works for me.

4. Who is the most popular couple that readers ask you about? I have to admit, Hunter and Kata (from Surrender to Me) are still my favorites.

I get asked for updates about many of the previous characters. The concept of “favorite” in this series definitely seems to be in the eye of the beholder. I personally LOVE spending time with Thorpe, Callie, and Sean, and it’s been so fun for me to be able to bring them back in His to Take, Wicked for You, and (very briefly) Falling in Deeper. But I try to feature other characters where it fits into the story. And I try to mention the kids since people always ask about them!

5. What characters do you still plan to write a book for? Or, can you tease who book #12 is for?

I recently announced the title for book 12. Holding on Tighter will be out February 2017, featuring Heath (my British bad boy bodyguard from Wicked for You) and Jolie (who is a new character but so awesomely kickass). The full book blurb all about mixing business with pleasure is here: http://shaylablack.com/books/holding-on-tighter/overview/

I’m also REALLY excited about the introduction of three new characters you’ll meet in Falling in Deeper whose story will play out over Holding on Tighter and beyond. Every time I spend time with these three, the drama and conflicts, the head-butting and the angst is so juicy and delicious…

 Thanks for having me here. I had a ball!

About FALLING IN DEEPER:

A tragic past threatens to destroy a passionate future in this dangerously sexy new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked for You.

After a violent tragedy nearly destroyed her, Lily Taylor ran away, changed her name, and started over. When her deadly nemesis resurfaces to eliminate his loose end, she turns to the last man she should trust—a stranger with a history of violence and an intoxicating sexuality she can’t refuse…
 
Though strong-armed into locating Lily to help put away a drug lord, ex-con Stone Sutter isn’t anyone’s snitch. When he finds the terrified beauty, he vows to keep her safe—but he isn’t sure he has the strength to shield her from his own desires.
 
As an unquenchable fire sparks between them, Lily’s tormentor stalks ever closer, and she must overcome her darkest fear to survive. Can she trust the bond she and Stone have formed as they’re falling in deeper?

About SHAYLA BLACK: 

Shayla Black (aka Shelley Bradley) is the the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 40+ sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances for multiple print and electronic publishers. She lives in Texas with her husband, munchkin, and one very spoiled cat. In her “free” time, she enjoys reality TV, reading and listening to an eclectic blend of music.

Shayla has won or placed in over a dozen writing contests, including Passionate Ink’s Passionate Plume, Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, and the National Reader’s Choice Awards. Romantic Times has awarded her Top Picks, a KISS Hero Award and a nomination for Best Erotic Romance of 2007.

A writing risk-taker, Shayla enjoys tackling writing challenges with every book.