The Athlete and the Aristocrat by Louisa Masters
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Alexandria Corza
Sales Links:
Dreamspinner Press: http://bit.ly/2NuvcEm
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2STNG43
Nook: http://bit.ly/2PshNhb
iBooks: https://apple.co/2zVhUN4
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2C2HP7e
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2L9jhfv
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Louisa Masters here today talking about her latest story The Athlete and the Aristocrate. Welcome, Louisa.
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An interview with Louisa Masters
How much of yourself goes into a character?
It depends on the character, but I think there’s a little bit of me in every person I write, although sometimes it’s as simple as a dislike of fish, and other times it can be a major personality quirk.
Has your choice of childhood or teenage reading genres carried into your own choices for writing?
Without question. I’ve always preferred books that ended happily. I’ve always, since I was old enough to know what it meant, liked a romantic storyline. I started reading romance when I was eleven (sneakily) and have never stopped. I love fantasy as well, and one day may try my hand at writing one, but it will also be a romance.
Do you like HFN or HEA? And why?
I like both. The key ingredient for me is the H—as long as the story ties up happily, I’m good with it. Some shorter stories feel unrealistic with a HEA, so a HFN works perfectly.
If you write contemporary romance, is there such a thing as making a main character too “real”? Do you think you can bring too many faults into a character that eventually it becomes too flawed to become a love interest?
I love this question, mostly because after thinking about it for ten minutes, my answer has changed five times. Ultimately, I have to say yes. I think there are some “flaws,” for want of a better word, that make a person irredeemable. That’s not to say that if they were a real person they wouldn’t be able to find love (it’s a weird and sometimes scary world out there), but I don’t think they could ever be the focus of a romance novel. For me, the best kind of development in a “flawed” character is when they become a better person without changing who they fundamentally are, and that assumes that on some level they are a relatable person to begin with, even if readers initially hate them.
Have you ever had an issue in RL and worked it through by writing it out in a story? Maybe how you thought you’d feel in a situation?
Yes, absolutely. One of my M/F novellas touches on the issue of workplace bullying, which I was dealing with at the time I wrote it. I’ve also taken RL situations and written what I’d like to have done, but didn’t—a great example of that was in The Bunny and The Billionaire, when Ben followed the sexy, mysterious stranger into the casino to find out who he was. In real life, I stayed where I was and finished my ice cream, forever doomed to wonder.
Ever drunk written a chapter and then read it the next day and still been happy with it? Trust me there’s a whole world of us drunk writers dying to know.
No, although I may try it sometime 🙂 One time I was at a wedding, drinking steadily in an attempt to make it through the speeches (the best man talked for ten minutes about his car) and live-texting the highlights to Renae Kaye. Most of those texts ended up in a novella of hers, pretty much word for word.
If you could imagine the best possible place for you to write, where would that be and why?
I’d love to say a busy café or a hotel terrace overlooking a crowded beach, but the truth is, I’m way too distractible. I already struggle with ignoring social media and email when I’m trying to write. A private, quiet space is the best bet if I want to be productive, although I will vote for a warm climate.
With so much going on in the world today, do you write to explain? To get away? To move past? To widen our knowledge? Why do you write?
I write to escape—the same with reading. Anyone who’s read my books is going to know that deep angst is not my thing. I don’t mind reading it occasionally, but for the most part I’m all about minor angst or none at all. I love including new information and places I’ve travelled to in my books, but ultimately, it’s just an escape to a different world to live with different people. Plus, I love being part of their stories!
What’s next for you as a writer?
The Athlete and The Aristocrat is my next release, coming January 1 from Dreamspinner Press. In March I have an M/F novella in the Emerald Isle Enchantment series being released, and I’ve just signed a contract for another M/M novel, set in a fictional theme park complex, that will release in 2019.
The Athlete and The Aristocrat:
Sometimes love takes balls.
Newly retired championship footballer Simon Wood is taking on his next challenge. His plan for a charity to provide funding for underprivileged children to pursue football as a career has passed its first hurdle: he has backers and an executive consultant. Now it’s time to get the ball rolling.
Lucien Morel, heir to the multibillion-euro Morel Corporation, is shocked—and thrilled—to learn his father has volunteered him as consultant to a fledgling football charity. Better yet, the brains behind it all is heartthrob Simon Wood, his teenage idol and crush.
Although Simon and Lucien get off on the wrong foot, it’s not long before they’re getting along like a house on fire—sparks included. But with the charity under public scrutiny, can their romance thrive?
The Giveaway
And don’t forget to enter the Giveaway! http://bit.ly/2CnrBFQ
About the Author:
Louisa Masters started reading romance much earlier than her mother thought she should. While other teenagers were sneaking out of the house, Louisa was sneaking romance novels in and working out how to read them without being discovered. She’s spent most of her life feeling sorry for people who don’t read, convinced that books are the solution to every problem. As an adult, she feeds her addiction in every spare second, only occasionally tearing herself away to do things like answer the phone and pay bills. She spent years trying to build a “sensible” career, working in bookstores, recruitment, resource management, administration, and as a travel agent, before finally conceding defeat and devoting herself to the world of romance novels.
Louisa has a long list of places first discovered in books that she wants to visit, and every so often she overcomes her loathing of jet lag and takes a trip that charges her imagination. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, where she whines about the weather for most of the year while secretly admitting she’ll probably never move.
Website: http://www.louisamasters.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LouisaMastersAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AuthorLouisaM
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/AuthorLouisaM
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/subscribeLouisaM
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Louisa-Masters/e/B008YBZT0S
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/louisa-masters
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5755521.Louisa_Masters
Dan and Steve, two ships passing in the night, so to speak, find each other and a lucky penny before heading into a private airline-club room. Their encounter is brief yet intense, the attraction off the charts, but the lay, like the layover they’re both on, is all too short for either of their liking.
Kim Fielding has a way with words.
The situation seems ideal: a month off work and a sweet deal to extend his stay in an unexpected paradise. Needless to say, Aaron is thrilled to snag an extra few days in Scotland after his work conference to soak up the magic of the country.
Levi’s been in a funk ever since his father died a year ago in an accident that Levi partially blames himself for.
Love older MCs? Love slow burn, even in the bedroom? This one is just right for those of us who want to read about two older guys who find their way to romance. Granted, in this case, they get a little push from a 14-year-old, but nevertheless, they get there. 
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