ENTER THE ROMANTIC WORLD OF SHEIKHS THROUGH OLIVIA GATES
TO TOUCH A SHEIKH
Pride of Zohayd #3
HARLEQUIN DESIRE
ISBN: 0373731167
The Sheikh's Surrender
No one gets past Prince Amjad Aal Shalaan's defenses. No one. But when Princess Maram shows up at Amjad's gala in her father's place, destroying Amjad's plans to reclaim what was stolen from his family, Amjad sees red… and uses a freak sandstorm to make her his prisoner of passion.
Swept to safety by the man she's always loved from afar, Maram knows she has one chance to make Amjad see her as a woman. His woman. But when the impossible prince and the unstoppable princess take shelter from the storm, neither is prepared for the aftermath of their desire…
THE GATE TO THE STORY
Maram eased her foot off the accelerator, to savor the last moments of approach. The sight warranted the most leisurely of zooms, to lick it clean of every smidge of magnificence.
And no, she didn’t mean the majestic desert. That and the canopy of bleached blue sky painted in wisps of incandescent white were indeed glorious. But it was his sight that spread firecrackers of pleasure through her system, had flutters of anticipation accumulating in her ribcage.
He stood in front of one of the huge tents. Dozens flitted around him. She saw only him. Standing half a foot taller, broad, lean and loaded with inborn grace and inimitable power, uncaring of the mercilessness of the sun beating down on his raven head, indifferent to existence in its whole.
The man was so aptly named ‘most glorious.’
* * *
At her approach, he inclined his head at her, his voice injected with its maximum level of scorn. “Princess Haram.”
Maram blinked. Had he just called her Haram?
The glint of wickedness in those unique eyes said he had!
Sinful. Wicked. Evil. Taboo.
The word encompassed all that. And more.
And he’d made sure everyone had heard it.
So. How did he expect her to react? Get flustered? Defensive? Outraged?
No. The Amjad she knew would expect her to engage him. And boy, would she.
She curtsied, fluttered her lashes. “Prince Abghad!”
Amjad’s eyes snapped wider before danger slithered across his heart-stoppingly gorgeous face, his hand flattening over his heart in mock hurt. “And here I thought you…liked me.”
“I far more than…like you. And you know it.” She grinned up at him. “But a Haram deserves at least an Abghad.”
“Princess Sinful and Prince Hateful,” Amjad said slowly, as if tasting the slurs, his darkest-chocolate voice making them as delicious as the sweetest compliments. “Those do have far better rings than the trite names our pompous parents saddled us with.”
~ ~ ~
THE GATE TO A LITTLE ABOUT OLIVIA
USA Today Bestselling author Olivia Gates has published over twenty-five books in contemporary, action/adventure and paranormal romance. She currently writes exotic and passionate modern-day fairy tales for Silhouette Desire and dark and erotic paranormals set in complex new worlds for Harlequin Nocturne.
I first noticed Olivia from afar at RWA National conferences. She is always dressed so beautifully in the dresses from her home country. But the most impressive thing about Olivia is her beauty from 
within. Truly proud to call her my friend…
THE Q&A GATE
ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?
OLIVIA: There is a BA and AA answer to that. The Before Author and After Author parts of my life. The BA one, I used to get lost in stories (in the plural) daily. To say I was a voracious reader is an understatement of the century. AA, I'm sorry to say I've slowed down to maybe 4 or 5 stories a month. Not happy about that, but writing takes most of the time I had for reading.
ANGI: What’s the first book you remember reading?
OLIVIA: The first 'book' I 'finished' was a Superman comic book. I was not yet seven. And boy, was that an eye opener. It set me on the way to not only becoming a voracious reader but it helped develop my drawing skills, my imagination, and just opened up whole new worlds to me.
ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?
OLIVIA: Eshg. To find out what it means, you have to read my Sheikh books. It's right there in TO TOUCH A SHEIKH. :-)
ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?
OLIVIA: Mulan. Oh, OK, I know it's not exactly a fairy tale,
ANGI: What turns you off like nothing else?
OLIVIA: Bigotry, self-pity, ingratitude...oh, the list in long.
ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?
OLIVIA: Cat's purring, and just about any other sound they make when contented.
ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?
OLIVIA: Action Adventure, all the way. :-)
ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?
OLIVIA: Lex Luthor and Magneto (Yep, I'm a comics nut!)
ANGI: Is writing or story-telling easier for you?
OLIVIA: Writing, no doubt.
ANGI: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?
OLIVIA: I’m working on an erotic romance novella for the new NOCTURNE CRAVINGS e-line. It is part of my ERADICATORS universe, which I set up with my first paranormal romance novella for Nocturne, MORTAL ENEMY, IMMORTAL LOVER.
Right after that I’m jumping into a new Sheikh trilogy for HARLEQUIN DESIRE (the follow-up to my current Sheikh trilogy PRIDE OF ZOHAYD, starring the Aal Shalaan half-brothers and a life-long nemesis, preliminary trilogy title of DESERT KNIGHTS OF AZMAHAR, or just DESERT KNIGHTS.)
Also the last and most anticipated chapter (and hero-Amjad) of my PRIDE OF ZOHAYD Trilogy is out now! It has already garnered another TOP PICK from RT Bookreviews magazine, making this a perfect score of Top Picks for the whole trilogy. It’s also on NetGalley in case you’re a reviewer or book blogger and you’d like to read it for free. I also just finished a standalone sheikh surgeon book for Harlequin Desire, A SECRET BIRTHRIGHT, and it's coming out in January 2012.
ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: It has been my great privilege to get to know Olivia a bit better at the RWA national conference. We’re dancing buddies! You are such a generous person, Olivia…just wanted everyone to know that! So, my question for you today has to do with your home country…and the heat… IF you could move to any place in the world, where would you choose? And why?
OLIVIA’S GOTTA ANSWER: I would move to somewhere overcast and rainy. I was raised soaked in the sun, and by the sea, and it would be too soon if I don't see either again. I also have severe migraines when exposed to the sun, so anywhere it doesn't shine is fine by me.
DON’T MISS the first two books in the Pride of Zohayd series: To Tempt a Sheikh & To Tame a Sheikh
WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?
For sure! I will give away 3 copies of my books (winner's choice)
Note: Offer void where prohibited. If an electronic Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available or more convenient, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.
GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?
What do you think of an author having more than one pseudonym? I'm writing contemporary romance (for Harlequin Desire) and paranormal romance (for Harlequin Nocturne) under the same name. I'm also going to write ST paranormal romance and urban fantasy romance under the same name. Does it matter to you if the author changes names per genre? Does it confuse you or does it make it easier for you to find out what kind of book you're getting? I know the cover, blurb, title, and everything else would alert you to the genre of the book, so where does a different name come in for you?
FIND OLIVIA on the web; on Facebook; or Twitter (@OliviaGates); or contact her at: oliviagates@gmail.com
DON’T FORGET to LIKE GLIAS on FACEBOOK and FOLLOW us on TWITTER or just catch all our guests and their new releases. Our terrific line-up continues this tomorrow with Vicky Dreiling. Then April Dawn & Jennifer Haymore.
See you tomorrow! ~ Angi
Thanks for Getting Lost today Olivia. I should let your fans know that you're on a different time schedule AND under a major book deadline, so we really appreciate you taking time to stop by and chat today.
ReplyDeleteRegarding different pseudonyms: I love it when a writer branches out, but I do want the stories labels on the book. Guess that's some of the reason I enjoy series--you can pick up a book for whatever mood you're in.
~Angi
Hi Angi and Oliva. Great to read about your book and you. I hear ya on the not having as much time as you want to read, that is the worst downfall about writing. I love cats too and their purring always makes me happy.
ReplyDeleteRe the pseudonym... I actually like it when authors keep the same name throughout. I read across genres but have must-buy authors. It's their voice I love usually and I'd like to try whatever genre they wrote in :)
Angi
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled to be here! I love GLIAS and so happy to Get Lost with you today! Thanks so much again for having me!
It was such a pleasure meeting you in RWA and getting the chance to hang out together more this year. You and Cat made my conference so much more special!
Regarding branching out, I love it, too, for both myself, and when my favorite authors do it.
But do I understand that you think as long as the label of genre is clear on the book, it doesn't matter to you if the author has the same pseudonym for everything or not?
Rachel
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping by. I'm glad you enjoyed my interview. Angi asks the best questions! And as for not having time to read as much as we'd like to, I at least don't feel as bad about it when I know I'm in such good company with the rest of the writers. Filling the well becomes progressively harder as our career develops.
And I'm *so* glad to hear your prefer that an author keeps the same pseudonym, since that is what I'd decided to do. I can only hope those who like my voice would follow me across the many genres I write in. :-)
Thanks again for visiting and commenting fellow cat lover. :-)
Hello Olivia!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new release.
It doesn't bother me when authors have more than one pen name. I think there are some genres where using a different pen name would be useful. I know of an author who writes erotic romance and several other genres under one name but is using another name for her young adult stories. I think that is totally appropriate. I think every author has to decide if they need the instant name recognition or if their current pen name might hold them back from breaking into a new genre.
user1123 AT comcast DOT net
Great Q and A! So true about writing time eating into reading time. Personally, I don't mind multiple pen names for very distinct categories, especially if they have different levels of heat!
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia,
ReplyDeleteNice to see you here. You already know how much I love your books. Different pen names are fine with me but so is sticking with one name.
Great Interview, Olivia!
ReplyDeleteI like different pen name, but it is easier for readers to follow you if you keep the same name. I may not be a fan of the different genres but if my author write in the genre I don't like I still may pick it up because I love the author. I know it works for some such as Nora Roberts but for others I think they would do better with keeping the name the same.
Olivia, fabulous answers, and you and Angi look so wonderful together. I'm glad you've gotten to know each other. Gee, pseudonyms. I would say definitely, particularly if you have 25 books under your belt and your readership expects a certain book from you. My daughter lives in Seattle. I'd say you'd love that climate, but it's a bit cold and dreary in the winter. Thanks for joining us on GLIAS!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here, Olivia...
ReplyDelete`Angi
Stacie
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the congrats!
And yes, I decided to keep the same name for my contemporary and paranormal since they have around the same heat level (even if my paranormals are hotter! :-D) But it's still adult content in both. As for YA, hmm, I haven't come to that bridge yet. Seems it'll take a bit of thinking when I do...
Jo
ReplyDeletethrilled you enjoyed the Q&A. Angi's questions were so much fun to answer! :-)
And it seems the prevalent opinion that supports many pen names is not according to genre but heat level. So maybe it will only be my YA work that will warrant a new pen name...
Tammy
ReplyDeleteSo good to see you here! I've been missing eHarlequin and the great community there! And I'm thrilled you enjoy my books! I've loved the many great reviews you've written of the ones you've read!
Thanks for letting me know you're OK with whether an author keeps one pen name or uses more. :-)
Sherie
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the interview! Angi made it so much fun to be interviewed! :-)
As for different pen names, I've been having arguments and examples to support both venues from one extreme to the other (as in authors using a name for each genre they write in, to authors keeping one name no matter what genre or heat level they write in) that I guess it will end up being a personal choice. But it's good to know that readers are flexible and willing to follow authors they like whatever choice they make.
Donnell
ReplyDeleteIt's great to be here! GLIAS is such a warm and interesting place, and Angi and Cat are fabulous ladies. I'm so glad I got to know them!
Thanks for weighing in on pseudonyms. It's exactly my same rationalization for keeping it the same, and I hope it turns out to be the right decision.
And I'd LOVE to live in Seattle! I've been there once, and adored the weather. As for cold and dreary, that's when I'm happiest, so it would be perfect for me. Since my aughter turned out exactly the same as me, and my DH is also a nocturnal, cold weather creature, we'd all be happy there. :-)
Angi
ReplyDeleteThank *you* for having me! :-)
I'm all about the multiple pseudonyms. That way you've got branding for each one and your readers know what they're going to get.
ReplyDeleteI have all of mine linked together for easier promotion and a central way to contact me.
I'm a villain girl too. Magneto is YUM.
Saranna
ReplyDeleteIf I decide to have another pseudonym I'll sure come to you for advice on handling many!
And have you seen the new Magneto? Now *that's* major YUM. :-)
CONGRATULATIONS SARANNA !!
ReplyDeleteYou are the winner of one of Olivia's books: WINNER'S CHOICE.
Thanks for stopping by GLIAS,
~Angi
CONGRATULATIONS JO !
ReplyDeleteI confirmed with Olivia that there should be three winners. And you're the 2nd to win your choice of Olivia's books.
Just sent us an email: GetLostInAStory@gmail.com and I'll pass along your information to Olivia.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Angi
CONGRATULATIONS RACHEL!
ReplyDeleteI confirmed with Olivia that there should be three winners. And you're the 3rd winner-- it's your choice of Olivia's books.
Just sent us an email: GetLostInAStory@gmail.com and I'll pass along your information to Olivia.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Angi