AAD NOLA Author Spotlight: Mari Freeman

Hey Tori,

Thanks for letting me hang with you guys here at Book Faery! I’m excited about Author’s After Dark and I’m even more excited it’s in New Orleans this year. I’m a huge fan of the city. I’ve been numerous times over the years, even considered living the winter in the Quarter once. I couldn’t make it happen financially at the time, but may still try again at some point.

The food there is the best. I mean, even the smallest hole in the wall places have grub to make you want to slap your momma!

A must experience for every foodie who visits is the Central Grocery, home of the muffuletta. This puppy is the granddaddy of sandwiches. A huge, round loaf of soft Italian bread is sliced horizontally and piled with salami, ham, and provolone, which are in turn topped with a wickedly spicy melange of chopped green and black olives fragrant with anchovies and garlic.

Don’t let the anchovies scare you! It all blends perfectly. But go with a friend or just order the quarter or half round. This thing is the size of a hubcap. If you want one to take home, no problem, they pack it up nice. I usually visit the Grocery on my way out of town and bring back a whole sandwich for sharing. Smells great on the plane too. If you really want to try one and can’t make it to New Orleans this year, they ship now!

It’s no wonder that I have a series call Hot, Hard… that is based in New Orleans. You can get a good feel for the underbelly Voodoo vibe of the Big Easy culture in these books. Hot, Hard and Howling is book one and Hot, Hard and Hexing is book two. I’m busy working on the third now. But, to get you in the mood for Bourbon Street, here’s a little taste of Hexing:
 

Sonja felt Ray’s magical energy floating into the room. He was dreaming, and since her abilities were stronger now than they’d ever been, she could pick it up. Her body responded as much as her mind to the silkiness of his energy as it danced around her. It did feel very real, her attraction to him. Her desire to be with him.

She got up and walked to the doorway. He’d taken his shirt off and was sleeping in just his jeans. He was lying on his back with his bare feet crossed at the ankles and his hands crossed behind his head. He had a small grin on his face. He looked so calm and happy, as if he were lying on the bank of a lake, peacefully watching the clouds or something. She had to fight the urge to slip into his mind.

But not the urge to slip into the bed.

She eased onto the bed, sat beside him and gently brushed her hand over his chest, tracing the hair trail that led down to the top of his jeans. It was soft, and his skin so warm. The strong scent of overly perfumed soap that she knew to be Cindy’s somehow even seemed appealing on him.

She looked back to his face to see that his eyes had opened, but he’d not moved.

She lifted her hand and balled her fist. The impulse to run was strong but she wanted to stay. Sonja felt her heart rate climb through the roof. She may have even been shaking. She hadn’t the foggiest clue how to proceed. She’d actually never seduced a man in her life.

He wasn’t going to help, either. The grin was gone, replaced with a smoldering look that threatened to melt her. She swallowed hard, worried he would reject her in real life. In those visions, she had been unmarked and self-confidant. Neither of which was true right now.

One thing she did know was that she wanted to experience this with him when she was aware. She wanted to feel like she felt in those fantasies. And the only way that was going to happen was if she reached out and became the confident lover she became in the visions.

She reached back toward his chest, her hand trembling. He intercepted it in a tender grip. “No fears here.” He sat up slowly and kissed her knuckles.

She shook her head and ran her fingers through his hair. She’d wanted to do that back in the cabin, when his face was covered in beard and mustache and his locks were curly and wild. He was handsome then and he was handsome now. She leaned forward and let her lips press to his, just a touch, a tease. She felt him lean into her but he didn’t take command of the kiss. He was letting her lead.

So she did. Led him slowly back down to the bed, opened her mouth and pressed her tongue to his, exploring. She dug her fingers into the back of his neck, holding him close. His hands cupped her face, tilting her head until it was comfortable for both of them. She moaned at the velvety-smooth feel of his tongue mingling with hers.

Her body was on fire from that one kiss. His magic started to build around him with his arousal. Sonja pulled back, breaking the kiss, breathless and wanting. If he was going to shy away from the scars, she wanted to know before they went much further. Now or never. She sat up and started to untie the belt of the robe, glancing back at him. Ray was neither withdrawing nor advancing. He’d found a natural pose, leaning on one elbow. God, he was a sexy beast—and he was looking at her as if she were a goddess.


Maybe it’s not the French Quarter that the scene got you in the mood for. So, we’ll stop right there. Hehehe. You’ll have to get the book to read the really good parts! There are Voodoo queens, gargoyles and gremlins running around in this story too.

I really hope to see you all in New Orleans at Author’s After Dark. It’s a great con and a great place to hang out.

Cheers,
~Mari

www.marifreeman.com

www.facebook.com/marifreeman

@marifreeman

Buy link for the books mentioned:

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-9172-hot-hard-howling.aspx

It's giveaway time!  

If you would like to win an ebook copy of any backlist title, please leave a comment providing your email address and which title you would like. Open internationally.

Check out Mari's backlist here.