Stay warm with HelenKay Dimon!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Publisher: Samhain

The Story Blurb

He usually gets what he wants. What he wants is her…and all that comes with her.

Sex in the office? Lincoln Campbell knows better. His assistant, Thea Marshall, is off limits—until her back hits the door and her clothes come off. The next day brings more than morning-after regrets. It brings damning evidence that Thea stole business secrets.

Three months later, he can’t shake the doubts in his gut, so he heads for Thea’s family cabin by the lake, ready to talk. He’s not ready for the woman who answers the door. She was shapely before…and it won’t be long before she’s a totally different shape.

After Linc escorted her off company property while her protestations of innocence fell on deaf ears, facing off with him now isn’t exactly Thea’s idea of a good time. She needs a few more weeks to plan the drastically different direction her life has taken, but now he’s here—and refusing to leave.

With a storm rolling in and snow piling up, there’s nothing to do but face the past…and try to resist the real man behind the suit.

Read an excerpt!

Meet HelenKay!

HelenKay Dimon spent the years before becoming a romance author as a...divorce attorney. Not the usual transition, she knows. Good news is she now writes full time and is much happier. She has sold over thirty novels, novellas and shorts to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Kensington, Harlequin and Penguin, Samhain and Carina Press.. Her nationally bestselling and award-winning books have been showcased in numerous venues and her books have twice been named "Red-Hot Reads" and excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine. But if you ask her she'll tell you the best part of the job is never having to wear pantyhose.

And now, the interview...

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

HelenKay: I want to get lost in a story every single time I pick up a book to read. I love the sensation of diving in, not being able to put a book down, and doing the “just one more page before bed” thing. When I write a book, I totally get lost in the story to the point the dialogue starts running through my head and my eyes pop open at 2:00 a.m. with the perfect answer for resolving a plot issue. That doesn’t sound weird...right? [Lara: Sounds normal to me! :)]

Lara: Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind?

HelenKay: Ugh, I have tried.  I really have. Music comes on and the singing starts. The writing stops. That’s not good for anyone. But I do need background noise when I write. It sounds weird, but I tend to play the movie Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in a loop. I’m convinced the steady hum of male voices with British accents helps me write. It also doesn’t hurt that when you glance up you see Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. None of those gentlemen are tough to watch. [Lara: I like your strategy!]

Lara: Tea or Coffee? And how do you take it?

Image credit

HelenKay: Tea.  I love tea and drink it all day. I prefer flavored tea (some old-school tea types likely just fainted) and like it black. One of my saddest days last week was when I thought my electric kettle (it heats water in about 30 seconds) died. Good news, the electrical outlet died. That’s fine. I can do without that.

Lara: What drew you to write in the genre(s) you do?

HelenKay: I was always an avid reader but – are you ready for the big admission? – I never read romance until I was about 30 years old. At the time I read mystery and suspense and worked as a divorce attorney specializing in contested custody cases. [I can hear you groaning] Then one day a lawyer in my office handed me three romances because she thought I needed a happy ending.  After reading The Bride by Julie Garwood, Perfect Partners by Jayne Ann Krentz and Daniel’s Bride by Linda Lael Miller I was hooked.  Today I write contemporary romance and romantic suspense. The romantic suspense part lets me continue my love for mysteries and thrillers.

Lara: How did you come up with the idea for your book?

HelenKay: Coming up with the ideas is the easy part. I’ll read a snippet of something here or hear about something and then I take that kernel and spin it out by playing a “what if” game. BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE is a bit of a homage to older boss/secretary romances. I love workplace romance novels. I started this one with the a boss and assistant who have been attracted to each other and act on that attraction one night…and then everything explodes. The goal was to get them together, break them up, and really make them work to figure it out.  It was great fun.

Me and Karl?  We're
old friends! :)

Lara: Who's your celebrity crush and why?

HelenKay: This tends to be a moving target, depending on what movie or television show I’ve just watched. I just watched the third season of Sherlock, so I could say Benedict Cumberbatch but I think it’s still Karl Urban. I’m not loving the new television show he’s on, but I love watching him. He comes off as smart, sexy tough, and a little wounded, which is a pretty great combination for a romance hero. [Lara: Most definitely!]

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

HelenKay: I met Rosa Parks while I was in law school. She came to speak and sat in on one of my classes. A few of us stayed around and talked with her. She was this petite woman, soft-spoken and polite. It’s amazing to think she literally changed history with the simple, yet considerably dangerous, act of refusing to give up her seat on a bus. I doubt I could ever be that brave. [Lara: How inspiring!]

Lara: Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

HelenKay: At the beginning of my writing career I did read reviews, good and bad. Honestly, reviews can derail me. Even if it’s a good review, I will zoom in on the one negative sentence. So, I find for my peace of mind it’s better I don’t read them. Really, the book is out and it belongs to the readers at that point. Let them comment and talk to each other without me interfering. The one thing I have never done is let reviews influence my writing. I have editors for that.

Lara’s GOTTA ASK: What’s something you’d like to tell your fans?

HelenKay’s GOTTA ANSWER: Thank you. It is that simple. I know that your time and money are limited and valuable. Every time you decide to spend either on me I am deeply grateful. So, thank you.

Where can you find HelenKay?

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What's next?

Relentless from Harlequin Intrigue

Coming in April!

Thanks for stopping by today, HelenKay!