NYT Bestselling author Roni Loren, CALL ON ME, & a Giveaway!

We’re thrilled to welcome New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Roni Loren to the Ball this week! If you haven’t read one of Roni’s books (her series has 8 books and 3 novellas) yet, well, you don’t know what you’re missing. I was an erotica virgin until Roni, and now there’s no looking back — her stories are hot and sexy AND well-written (yes, it can be done). And her next one, CALL ON ME, hits shelves July 7th — here’s the blurb:

Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll.

Pike isn’t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley’s sexy night job. She’s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won’t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real.

But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley’s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all.

Here’s what Roni has to say about her first book, her job as a birthmother counselor, and the value of a kick-butt critique partner…

 When you were a teenager, what did you think you’d be when you grew up?

In high school, I wanted to be a writer. I wrote my first book at fifteen—which was really 150 pages of thinly veiled New Kids on the Block fan fiction. Very romantic. Very melodramatic. Lots of exclamation points and kissing. All written by a girl who hadn’t been kissed yet, of course, lol. I ended up going to college and getting a graduate degree in social work, but sometimes I think what we wanted to be at fifteen is a good glimpse into our real selves and what would make us happy.

Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh.

My husband. It’s a beautiful thing when you find someone who has a similar twisted sense of humor. But if he’s not around, I can always get myself tears-in-eyes laughing with Damn You, Autocorrect.

DB: Same! Damn You, Autocorrect is pee-my-pants funny.

What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?

I don’t know if strange is the right word but the most intense job I’ve ever had was as a birthmother counselor at an adoption agency. My job was to drive/fly around the state to counsel pregnant women who wanted to make an adoption plan. Then, I’d go to the hospitals when the babies were born and facilitate the adoption. If there were no adoptive parents yet, that often meant traveling with two-day old infants on my own to get them back to the agency. I was in my early twenties with no kids at the time, so that was pretty intimidating, bringing a newborn on a flight or road trip. But I’m still in awe of the courageous women and families I met in that job. And though there was a lot of heartbreak, there were also a lot of happy endings.

Has anyone ever thought a character you wrote was based on them?

My husband is convinced that all of my sexy, smart heroes are based on him. 😉

DB: Well, of course they are!

 Do you have a regular first reader?  If so, who is it and why that person?

Yes, YA/New Adult author Julie Cross. We met online long before either of us ever had an agent or a book deal, so we’ve been friends from the start. And though we write in completely different genres, it works because we “get” each other—our writing voices, the type of humor, what our individual styles are. I know what a “Julie book” is supposed to feel like, and she knows the same for a “Roni book”. So we can offer honest critique to each other because we know neither of us is going to mess with the underlying vibe or the heart of the story we’re trying to tell. Plus, we’re a good balance for each other. She’s an idea girl, can brainstorm like a boss, which is invaluable when I’m stuck. And I’m a picky editor type, so when she gets mucked up in her draft, I can help her find ways to hone in on the important stuff.

Thank you Roni for stopping by today! Perhaps if you’re looking for a change of pace you’ll consider releasing some of your NKOTB fan fiction… 😉

GIVEAWAY: Comment on this post by Noon (EST) on Friday, June 26th to win one of two e-book copies of NICE GIRLS DON’T RIDE (Kindle or Nook, U.S. only)! Follow The Debutante Ball on Facebook and Twitter for extra entries—just mention that you did so in your comments. We’ll choose and contact the winner on Friday. Good luck!

About Roni:

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.

If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that’s it. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series. You can find Roni on Facebook and Twitter.