Cantrell Desire

MARRIAGE WITH BENEFITS

Harlequin Desire, February

ISBN: 0373732252

Her ideal ex-husband

“Will you divorce me?” Those are the four little words Cia Allende wants to hear Lucas Wheeler say. Of course, they have to marry first. The gorgeous Texas real estate tycoon shuns commitment, but a six-month fake marriage will help them both. Cia can access her trust fund and build a women’s shelter, and Lucas’s playboy reputation is repaired. No strings. No romance. Simple.

Except it’s anything but. Lucas intends to seduce his in-name-only wife. It’s a battle of wills, and Cia is losing…and loving it. And now the divorce she needs is the last thing she wants….

EXCERPT 

THE THINGS SHE SAYS

Harlequin Desire, March

ISBN: 0373732317

Her Knight in a Shining Yellow Ferrari

One wrong turn on a Texas highway and heartthrob director Kristian Demetrious is breaking his first rule: don’t get involved. Beautiful, sassy VJ Lewis needs his help—and a ride to Dallas. Kris wants to give her both….

Yet his career depends on arriving without giving in to the passion VJ ignites in him. And denying temptation gets harder with every mile. VJ insists the heart of a hero beats beneath Kris’s suave exterior—and she intends to prove it, one hands-on lesson at a time. Suddenly this road trip is taking a whole new direction….

WHO'S KAT?

Kat read her first Harlequin novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? She majored in Literature, officially with the intent to teach, but somehow ended up buried in middle management at Corporate America, Inc.

Kat became a stay-at-home mom in 2009 and devoted nap time to writing. After three years and many thousands of words, her dream of publication finally came true. When she’s not writing about characters on the journey to happily ever after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching Friends or dancing with her kids to Duran Duran and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Kat, her husband and their two boys live in North Texas. She’s a proud member of Romance Writers of America®. Kat was the 2011 Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA® Golden Heart® finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.

ALL ABOUT KAT

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

KAT: I’m constantly lost in a story. Usually in my own head. I’m one of those who can’t see an abandoned car on the side of the road without spinning a tale instantly of what happened to the down-on-her-luck heroine.

ANGI: What’s your favorite “love” word?

KAT: Sacrifice. To me, that’s the embodiment of love.

ANGI: Can you tell us about a real-life hero you’ve met?

KAT: My husband. He inspires all my fictional heroes. I know everyone says that, but mine really does. J Yeah, he cooks and cleans, but he’s a hero to me because he always does the right thing no matter what and his first priority is taking care of his family. If that’s not heroic, I don’t know what is.

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

KAT: Definitely Cinderella, though I like the Drew Barrymore version—Ever After—the best because she rescues herself and her reward is true love. I’ve written my own version of Cinderella twice now and both my heroines do the same!

ANGI: AH !! A woman after my own heart. My absolute favorite version of this story. I sometimes  listen to the movie to hear Dougray Scott's voice. LOL

ANGI: What do you like about the hero of your book?

KAT: He likes to take care of people…see above about my husband. So many readers complain about heroes in books being unrealistic and it was important to me to write people with realistic qualities.

ANGI: Where do you read and how often?

KAT: I read at night before I go to bed. I usually only get about fifteen minutes in, so it takes me a long time to read an entire book, but it’s all I can manage right now. Unfortunately, reading time is one of the things I had to sacrifice so I could be a career author.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

KAT: Both. >>>big grin<<<

ANGI: What was the first story you remember writing?

KAT: Jane and the Rainbow in first grade. I was hooked! By fourth grade, I was writing Encyclopedia Brown and Trixie Beldon knockoffs and finally found my calling in ninth grade when I started my first romance. It was a historical. Set in 1971.

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

KAT: Lord of the Rings. I like all three equally so don’t you dare make me pick just one!

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: How are the gerbils? (BIG GRIN) I have to admit that those were one animal I never allowed in the house, so you can tell I’m not a fan. Keeping my fingers crossed they’re working out for not only your son, but also the mom that has to clean their cage.

KAT’S GOTTA ANSWER: Well…that’s a story. I guess I’m in the right place for that. J Turns out I’m allergic to gerbils so we had to take them back. Apparently it happens often because the store refunded 100% of my money despite the obvious use of the cage and other accessories. It’s a hard, hard thing to disappoint your kid and I think I cried over it for at least a week. But I learned I have a great son who handled the whole thing with maturity. I’m so proud of him!

FIND KAT

Contact   Website   Facebook   Goodreads

Twitter   @KatCantrell   Blogs

UP NEXT for KAT

MINDLINK

Carina Press, April

ASIN: B00APEXMHE

THE BABY PLAN

Harlequin Desire, August

ONE NIGHT IN VENICE

Harlequin Desire, January 2014

KAT's drawing for a print copy of either Marriage With Benefits or The Things She Says (before you can buy it!) North America readers only. Please leave your email for notification.

Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DON'T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join me Sunday when I host Lena Diaz who'll be kicking off Intrigue Week. And come back tomorrow when Donnell hosts Deb Coonts. And Friday when Kari Lee Townsend will be Maureen’s guest. ~Angi 

GOT A QUESTION FOR READERS TODAY? In MARRIAGE WITH BENEFITS, Cia wants to use her inheritance to open a women’s shelter—what would you do if you had a huge pile of cash dropped in your lap?