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Everyone, it’s time to get to know a new author – Elisabeth Roseland. This Chicago native is the one responsible for creating the world of Ebony Nights; a male escort service based in the Windy City.

Today on Beyond The Page you’re not only getting to learn more about Elisabeth and Ebony Nights, you’re also getting a chance to WIN an eBook version of the novella “Advertising for Love“, book one in the series.

Aren’t GIVEAWAYS fun? 🙂 And yes, this IS open to international readers of my blog! 😀

Simply (1) Post a Comment then (2) Enter the RAFFLECOPTER a Rafflecopter giveaway

CABR: Welcome to Beyond The Page Elisabeth 🙂

“Advertising for Love” is book 1 in the Ebony Nights series. What’s it been like writing about an all-male escort service and how they guys balance work and play?

ER: Well, for the escorts, work is play. 😉 It’s been an awesome ride coming up with these characters and exploring their motivations for why they chose the profession they did. I’m also equally interested in the female clients and the circumstances that led them to hiring an escort. People have bills to pay. Others don’t have time to date. Some find themselves out of work and out of other options. Others don’t want to risk an emotional relationship and just want sex. It’s all so deliciously messy and complicated.

CABR: Sounds like a fun story to write. 🙂 When did you sign your book deal with Samhain and how has your life changed since then?

ER: I got the email in March (2012) that Samhain was interested in the first book and wanted to hear more about the series, and I’ve been on cloud nine since then. There have been two big changes for me. First, writing has moved from being a hobby to a career, which means that I now have two (gulp!) And second, with two careers, I’m now insanely busy. The balance has been challenging but so much fun. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

CABR: Who would? 🙂 Does Chicago figure in your books or are they set somewhere else? Why?

ER: Chicago is the setting for the Ebony Nights series. I chose Chicago not just because I live here and it’s the best city in the world (*grin*) but also because the size and diversity afford the characters a variety of options.

For example, in Advertising, the city makes the characters’ jobs possible. Aisha can work in a high-powered career as an ad executive with regional and national connections. Greg can be a well-paid escort with a busy schedule and plenty of clients. The large scope of the city also allows for a variety of activities. Greg can take Aisha to a down-home diner in an impoverished neighborhood one day and meet a client on a yacht the next.

Chicago continues to play a key role in the second book, In Production (March 2013). Two of the main characters are television producers for rival stations. I never name the stations, but if you’ve visited the city, you’ll know exactly which ones I’m talking about based on their descriptions.

Like a lot of Chicagoans who are writers, I’m inspired by the city. The diverse people, the food, the architecture, the dirty politics, the brutal winters—all of it gets into your psyche and muscles its way onto the page.

CABR: Looking forward to seeing Chicago through your characters’ eyes. How excited are you that “Advertising for Love” is now available for pre-order at Samhain and Amazon?

ER: Eh. *shrugs* No big deal.

OH MY GOODNESS ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I am so excited I could just DIE! But I’m trying to control myself because if I did die, then I couldn’t continue to work on the series.

CABR: LOL. Do you get to choose the book covers for the Ebony Nights series?

ER: *Looks at cover* *Wipes drool off face*

I’m sorry, what? Did you ask me a question? Oh, the cover. Yeah.

I don’t get to choose the covers, but I do get to fill out a cover art request form detailing what I would like to see. I can give my input on everything—the main characters’ physical appearance, their body language, the Ebony Nights logo, how the city is represented, etc. The form then goes to the cover artist who turns my words into an image. If there are things about the cover I don’t like, I can tell my editor who then relays it back to the artist and revisions are made. With the cover for “Advertising for Love”, however, Angela Waters (the cover artist) hit it out of the park on the first try. My editor sent me the cover and my jaw hit the floor. It is sexy and eye-catching and perfectly illustrates what the book is about.

CABR: I totally agree 😀   Tell us about the series – book titles order, publication dates.

ER: “Advertising for Love” will be released on December 11th. “In Production” is due on March 19, 2013. I’m still waiting for the contract for the third book, “Corporate Merger”, but it will most likely be slated for June/July. I’ve also started working on book number four, so look for that some time before the year is out.

CABR: Busy lady! Good news for fans of “Ebony Nights” 🙂  What’s next for you? “In Production” right? Based on what I’ve read, is this a m/m book with a female escort as the third?

ER: Actually, no. There are two men in “In Production”, and they both get busy! But not with each other.  Marie Hutchinson and Vince Contadino are television producers at rival stations. Vince has got it bad for Marie, but she’s too busy to give him the time of day. She has no time for relationships, at least that’s what she tells herself.

Instead, she prefers to satisfy her sexual cravings by hiring escorts from Ebony Nights, and Brian Taylor is her new favorite. The book explores how past wounds can impact the present, and how present relationships can impact the future. Oh, and how a black guy with a sexual bag of tricks and an Italian with a voracious appetite can rock a girl’s world.

Lucky, lucky Marie.

CABR: Indeed 😉  What do you consider the pros and cons of writing? How tough has it been to juggle writing with your day job?

ER: Sometimes I feel like I’m doing juggling one-handed, blindfolded, while standing on one foot and singing the National Anthem. But there are so many pros, the biggest one being that this is a creative outlet that is really fulfilling to me. I have so much fun while writing, even when I’m working on something difficult (like addressing my editor’s comments). You know that something is feeding your soul when you grin like a fool even through the tough times.

The cons are that I’m always exhausted, and I now have caffeine running through my veins instead of blood.

CABR: Feeding the soul is always important 🙂 What’s the funniest fan interaction you’ve had?

ER: Well, since my book isn’t out yet, I have no fans. Wait, I take that back. My husband is a fan, but he doesn’t count. I did have a great conversation with one of my close friends, however. When I told her the premise of my book, she blushed and whispered, “A male escort agency? That’s always been a fantasy of mine.” I squealed, “Mine, too!” and we had a good laugh about it.

CABR: LOL. Were you awestruck upon meeting any particular author/s at a convention?

ER: I’ve only been to one convention so far, the Romantic Times Convention last April, but my favorite panel was the erotic romance/erotica panel (obviously). I sat in the front row grinning like a fool. Kayla Perrin and Janet Miller/Cricket Starr were there, but I was really excited to hear Eden Bradley/Eve Berlin speak. My editor was also in the audience and my “fell out of my chair” moment was when she prefaced her question by stating that she is Eden’s editor at Samhain! I felt like I was just one degree away from a connection with such an amazing writer. I really geeked out over that.

CABR: Wow. So cool! If you could be someone else for a day, from any time in history, who would you be and why?

ER: Ok, so this answer is super nerdy, but I would be Aphra Behn (1640-1689). She is considered to be the first female professional English playwright and is quoted as saying, “Forced to write for bread and not ashamed to own it.”

She did things that “respectable” English ladies would never do: made her own money (shocking!), worked in the morally depraved theater (scandalous!), and wrote plays that were just as funny and as dirty as her male counterparts (the horror!)

She was also a spy for King Charles II, spent time in debtors’ prison, and most likely lied about being a widow so people would get off her back for never having married. So yeah, I totally would love to be her.

CABR: I did not know that. Will be looking up Aphra Behn on the internet 🙂  Which character from fiction, yours or another author’s, would you like to spend time with and why?

ER: Greg, for obvious reasons. (Shh! Don’t tell my husband.)

CABR: Of course not! 😉

Thanks again Elisabeth for taking the time to drop by CABR.

Remember, to WIN an eBook copy of “Advertising for Love”, (1) Post a Comment then (2) Enter the RAFFLECOPTER a Rafflecopter giveaway