The Next Big Thing Blog Hop with Kristine Cayne

I'd like to start by saying a huge "Thank you!" to Ella Medler and Susan Griscom for nominating me as The Next Big Thing. Last week, Ella also awarded me her "Life Changing Read" award for Deadly Addiction. I'm proud and humbled by her words. You can read what she said by clicking here.

The Next Big Thing originated on the She Writes site, as far as we could work out, and is designed to raise awareness of our work, or work in progress. We do that by answering ten questions about it. We graciously thank the person who nominated us, and tag five other authors whose work could well be that NEXT BIG THING.

I hope that the following questions and answers will give you some insight into who I am as a writer and as a person. I'm also sharing some insights into my current work in progress. Think sexy firefighters!

Q1: What is the working title of your book?

Under His Command is the book I'm currently writing. It's a hot firefighter (erotic) romance. Want to see the cover? Here it is.

Q2: Where did the idea for the book come from?

The Rainy Day Writers, a Seattle-based group that I'm part of, decided to put together an anthology. The stories would all take place in Seattle or have a strong connection to that city, and either the hero or heroine had to be a member of the Caldwell family. Because I write romantic suspense, I started thinking about dramatic situations that could occur in Seattle. And then it came to me - earthquake! This lead to thinking about who are best trained to bring help to victims in earthquake scenarios: the answer being rescue firefighters. I created a fictional technical rescue team led by my hero, Lieutenant Jamie Caldwell.

Q3: What genre does your book fall under?

Erotic romance.

Q4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmm... now that's a tough one. The man used as inspiration for Jamie is actually a real firefighter with the FDNY. If I had to pick an actor, he'd have to be very big and strong... Have you seen Chicago Fire? Taylor Kinney plays the lieutenant of the rescue squad. He'd make a great Jamie. He's already got practice. LOL. Here's an image of my Jamie, though.

The heroine is Erica Caldwell, or Rickie as Jamie calls her. Sienna Miller or Jennifer Lawrence would do well. Here's an image of Erica and Chloe (Jamie and Erica's daughter).

Q5: What is the one sentence synopsis for your book?

A firefighter desperate to save his failing marriage earns the trust--and the sexual submission--of his controlling wife in the most pleasurable of ways.

Q6: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

This book and the entire series will be self-published.

Q7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It's been eight weeks so far. I expect to finish the draft in the next week or so.

Q8: What other books would you compare this story to, within your genre?

In style and explicitness, it's similar to Fifty Shades of Grey. But the plot is much tighter and the setup and characters are vastly different.

Q9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Firefighters are true heroes, but how much do we really know about them? Not much. They come, do their thing and leave. I wanted to write a series about the men and women under the uniform and their struggles with relationships. It's a very dangerous job that takes a huge toll on parents, spouses, and children. I also picked a technical rescue team because I think what they do is extraordinary while largely a mystery to the public. At least now with Chicago Fire, they are gaining some visibility.

Q10: What else about your book might pique the readers’ interest?

This book, and the rest of the series, delves deeply into the various relationships of the members of my technical rescue team. These men are adrenaline junkies who seek thrills in every aspect of their lives and the bedroom is no exception. I've paired my heroes and heroines up with partners that will challenge them, and me, on every level. Under His Command explores how light BDSM brings Jamie and Erica back to a relationship of trust and mutual respect.

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Now it's time to pass the torch to five deserving authors so they can tell you about their amazing work. Their posts (which will have the same title: The Next Big Thing Blog Hop) will be live on or around November 21. Here they are:

Dana Delamar

Patricia Macias

Richard Cotton

Cate Dean

Stacey Joy Netzel

Thank you for joining me on The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. I hope you'll visit my nominees next week when they post their answers to the ten questions.

~Kristine