From Leather to Lace
From Leather to Lace is my first book I am very excited about the story. My Heroine, Sarah Maddox is a beautiful, intelligent and sexy journalism graduate – she is also Mistress Kitty the Dominatrix. She loves her Dominatrix role at Fantasy – the exclusive Sydney BDSM club. Only her best friend knows what she really does each evening and her secret is safe until she meets the charming, handsome and successful Maxwell McIver who turns her world upside down and has Sarah questioning her priorities and wondering – has she finally met the man for whom she would be willing to compromise?
My hero, handsome Maxwell McIver at 35 is one of the richest men in the country – sophisticated and powerful, Maxwell is accustomed to getting what he wants and after meeting Sarah at a party, he decides that he wants her. He has always avoided serious relationships but Sarah has captivated him and once their romance starts to heat up he decides that he doesn’t want to let her go. But like Sarah, Maxwell is also hiding something, a secret that will threaten their newfound relationship and have Sarah reeling with indecision and uncertainty.
The book has been compared to Fifty Shades and Sierra Cartwright, so how does that make you feel?
Wow what a compliment! The Fifty Shades Trilogy was immensely successful and extremely popular (I am a big fan!) and whilst From Leather to Lace is not a series, it does definitely fall into the BDSM genre.
Sierra Cartwright is a fabulous author and I have enjoyed many of her books so I feel quite honoured, and a little awed by the comparison.
You enjoy travelling in your spare time, so where is your favourite place?
I love Europe, particularly Italy where I lived for a period in a classic medieval Hill Town. It is so rich with history and the countryside is amazing.
The castles, churches and towns are awe-inspiring, as is the associated history. It is like a kaleidoscope of ancient tales, peoples and culture and what is truly amazing is the fact that many of the towns and villages have not changed in hundreds of years. That historical steadfastness is fantastic and extremely enlightening.
You are always looking for inspirations for your new stories, so where do you mostly find it?
I find inspiration everywhere. For example, the current book I am working on is set in 1919, in the Australian outback and is loosely based on my husband’s grandfather who was a horse breaker and an Australian Light Horseman in WWI and who, by all accounts was a rogue and a serial womaniser. The family stories suggest a passionate affair with the young Governess.
I also take inspiration through my own personal experiences. I wrote “Whips, Wax and a Wicked Confession” recently for a guest blog spot with Total-E-Bound author – Lisabet Sarai based on a BDSM experience of my mine.
You love reading all genres, so who is your favourite author?
My favourite author is Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice remains my all time favourite novel. However, regarding contemporary authors I am really enjoying Sylvia Day’s work at the moment and Elizabeth George is one of my favourite mystery authors.
You also enjoy cooking so what is your favourite dish to create?
My husband and I spent 12 months living in India in 2010 and whilst there I learnt to make quite a few delicious curries. So my favourite dish at the moment to make is a good, flavoursome curry with seasonal ingredients, I also learnt how to make Chapattis (Indian flour bread) so I will often make these to serve with the curry.
We are lucky in Australia to have so many fabulous fresh ingredients on our doorstep that cooking is the easy part – it is deciding what to cook that is difficult!
Why did you decide to make Sarah a journalism student?
There is no specific reason behind this but I thought it worked well within the story line and was appropriate for the type of character that I wanted Sarah to be – confident, creative and interesting.
Like Fifty Shades McIver is older than Sarah, so why is it that this fits well with the BDSM lifestyle?
The BDSM lifestyle requires a great deal of training and personal control, qualities, I believe, that would be less credible in a younger man.
For me, it is more convincing that an older man is mature, successful and more in control of their emotions and behaviour – an older man has had time to hone their social skills and their emotional responses to highly charged situations. For me, it makes sense and it works.
How much can this lifestyle affect finding love?
The BDSM lifestyle is quite particular and not to everyone’s tastes – in fact some people are vehemently against it. I guess it depends on the person and/or the couple involved. If both people find the lifestyle acceptable and can involve each other in a reasonable and mutually consensual manner then a relationship could definitely work. I think problems could arise if a person is involved in the lifestyle and meets, and falls for someone who is not – which could make for some intriguing romance novel conflicts but in reality, a relationship would prove more challenging.
My book, From Leather to Lace presents an interesting perspective regarding this question.
What is next for you?
I have Serena’s Submission being released by Total-E-Bound in November, it is one of their Lust Bites range and another BDSM story. This one definitely sizzles and is rich with BDSM and hot sexual content.
I am working on an historical erotic romance, which I alluded to earlier, set in 1919 in the Australian outback. This is a story about childhood sweethearts who are cruelly wrenched apart. They re-unite ten years later with interesting, and conflict-laden consequences.
You can purchase From Leather to Lace today from Total-E-Bound Publishing!