An interracial romance series about passionate, wealthy alpha male heroes of Latin descent by Delaney Diamond ➱ Book Tour with Guest Post & Giveaway
An interracial romance series about passionate, wealthy alpha male heroes of Latin descent from Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, and Argentina—falling hard for the women who love them.
The Arrangement
Latin Men Book 1
by Delaney Diamond
Genre: Contemporary Romance
An
indecent proposal leads to a short term arrangement…
Brazilian
millionaire, Leonardo da Silva, is still seething from when his wife,
Alexa, walked out on him four months ago. Now she’s in his office
asking for a business loan to help her brother. Instead of a loan,
he’s willing to give her the money, but only if she resumes her
role as his wife for the next two months. She reluctantly agrees, and
she soon finds herself wishing their arrangement was permanent. But
when she finds out about Leonardo’s betrayal, there may be no way
for them to mend their broken marriage.
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Fight For Love
Latin Men Book 2
A
former pro wrestler fights to hold onto the woman he lost, but still
loves, and the son he never knew existed.
Science teacher
Rebekah Jamison lives a quiet life in the suburbs of Atlanta.
Devastated by a tabloid scandal nine years ago, she ended her
marriage to the man her parents never approved of.
Rafael
Lopez, former professional wrestler and “Sexiest Athlete Alive,”
regrets the lapse in judgment that caused him to lose his wife. He
shows up unannounced one day with some startling news, but he gets a
surprise of his own. He finds out he’s a father. To get to know his
son, he whisks him and Rebekah off to his home in the Hollywood Hills
for the summer.
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Private Acts
Latin Men Book 3
Miguel
Delgado fell hard the first time he saw a beautiful woman on stage
during a karaoke competition at a bar in Ecuador. Interested in a
short, casual affair, he turns on the charm. But she won’t give him
the time of day.
Samirah Jamison has met her match—in
the form of a tall, hard-bodied sculptor who won’t leave her alone.
She’s not running scared. She’s just trying to keep a level head
and stay out of trouble for once. But it’s really, really hard to
be good…when you’re used to being bad.
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The Ultimate Merger
Latin Men Book 4
A
short story and the prequel to Second Chances.
Two
workaholics slow down long enough to find love when they least expect
it.
Renaldo da Silva is on the verge of entering the U.S. market
with the purchase of a hotel in downtown Chicago. After working hard
for several days straight, he heads to a local bar and sees a woman
who instantly makes him reconsider how to spend his evening.
When
another one of her male counterparts unfairly becomes the lead on a
project, Sabrina Porter leaves work intent on drowning her sorrows in
wine and loud music at a local bar. Instead, she meets a sexy
Brazilian who’s intent on showing her a different way to unwind.
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Second Chances
Latin Men Book 5
Renaldo
da Silva’s near-perfect life in Brazil comes to a halt when he
finds out about his wife’s betrayal. Now he doesn’t want to have
anything to do with her. But because he needs her help finalizing the
biggest deal of his career, he’s forced to make her a multi-million
dollar offer and delay their divorce.
Sabrina da Silva
can’t forgive herself after a reckless night destroys her marriage.
She agrees to help her husband and then disappear from his life for
good. But with passion still smoldering between them, it’s not easy
for either to walk away. Will passion be enough to overcome the
ultimate test of their love?
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More Than a Mistress
Latin Men Book 6
Will
their arrangement ever be enough?
Relationships are not a
priority for restaurateur Esteban Galiano, and when he sees Sonia
Kennedy at a party, he plans to make her a conquest in a long line of
many. But she rebuffs his advances and forces him to
adjust—determined to meet the challenge and do whatever he must to
make her his.
All her life, Sonia’s beauty has caused
unnecessary problems, and right now she needs a job, not a suitor.
When Esteban makes an indecent proposal, her first instinct is to
turn him down. But soon she’s rethinking her response. Maybe it’s
time for her to use what she’s got, to get what she wants.
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Undeniable
Latin Men Book 7
They
can’t stand each other…or can they?
For years, hard
work and perseverance have been the tenets by which Santiago Vila
lived his life. As such, he’s achieved everything he’s gone
after. Except Abena Dubango. She’s the total package of brains,
beauty, and a sense of humor. Even though she wears another man’s
ring, he’s never forgotten the moments they spent together. And
he’ll make sure she doesn’t, either.
Abena has plans.
Get married, have children, and live happily ever after. She even has
a fiancé to achieve her goals. But two things stand in her way:
Santiago Vila, and her undeniable attraction to him.
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ONE EXCERPT FROM EACH BOOK
Excerpt 1: The Arrangement
Joan rose from the chair, but
before she walked away, she said, “We need to get together for lunch one day to
catch up. And definitely before that husband of yours whisks you away in two
months to spend the next three years in Brazil.”
Alexa’s hand with the glass
froze halfway to her mouth. “The next three years?”
“Yes. While he’s setting up
the Latin American headquarters for Radiant Communications, darlin’,” Joan said
matter-of-factly, as if it were common knowledge. Perhaps it was, but this
tidbit of information was news to Alexa.
As Joan hurried away, Alexa
scanned the room in search of Leonardo.
Leonardo was moving to Brazil
for three years?
The sound of a metal fork
clinking against glass drew Alexa’s attention to the center of the room, where
Joan was standing, staring up adoringly at her husband. All conversations
ceased, and the guests faced the couple celebrating another year of their happy
marriage.
Russell Simpson lapsed into
one of his stories, and Alexa half listened as she pondered what Joan had said.
Leonardo was leaving for Brazil in two months. Sixty days.
A round of applause shook her
from her ruminations and forced her to concentrate her attention on the
celebration taking place in the room. She saw Joan bent back across Russell’s
arm as he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. The romantic gesture made
Alexa feel a twinge of jealousy, wishing she and Leonardo could have reached
the thirty-year milestone in their marriage and share the kind of love Russell
and Joan did.
She started. What was she
thinking? She and Leonardo couldn’t share that type of relationship because
their marriage was doomed almost from the beginning and was over even now. The
excitement of being married to a powerful, rich, sexy man waned under the
reality of day-to-day life.
He was no longer charming and
playful. With work consuming all his time, her role became one of hostess and
bed partner. There was nothing in between. The times she spent alone were a
constant reminder of the mockery of a marriage she saw between her parents, and
she had been determined she wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes.
The guests began to mill about
again when the kiss ended. Alexa lifted her glass from the table to take
another swallow before getting to her feet.
Intuitively, she sensed
Leonardo’s gaze on her, and she caught sight of him near the entrance to the
balcony. He was watching her, though he should have been engrossed in the
conversation with the two other people with whom he was standing, one of which was
the redhead. Even from that distance across the room, she could sense his
desire for her, and there was an answering pounding of the blood in her veins
as their gazes locked.
Maybe it was the kiss between
Russell and Joan and the romantic notion of long-lasting love, but Alexa found
her thoughts straying to memories of sharing passionate kisses with Leonardo.
She carefully placed her glass of wine on the table before it slipped from her
damp fingers and crashed onto the expensive white carpet. She felt nervous and
jittery because she knew the reason for Leonardo’s smoldering scrutiny. She was
fully aware what was expected of her, and she found herself breathlessly
anticipating the end of the evening.
Leonardo came toward her, his
lithe, graceful walk a surprise for a man of his size. The tuxedo jacket hugged
his broad shoulders and fit his muscular frame like a glove. As he neared her,
Alexa realized she was holding her breath. The undercurrent of sexual tension
flared between them.
“Are you nervous?” Leonardo
asked.
“Why would I be nervous?” Her
voice came out breathy, husky. She cleared her throat.
Leonardo smiled knowingly. He
must feel the same charge, know that she longed to be kissed and touched,
despite being coerced into resuming her role as his wife.
He didn’t answer her question.
“You haven’t eaten a thing all night.”
It was true, but how could he
possibly know that? She didn’t have an appetite for much except the tall, dark
man standing before her.
“I’ve had my eye on you all
evening,” he said in response to the unspoken question.
The thought that he’d been
watching her even during the periods when they were separated generated tiny
little shivers across Alexa’s skin. Her fingers tightened around the clutch in
her left hand. “I’m not hungry.”
The knowing smile widened.
“You should eat something,” he said. His dark gaze lingered in appreciation on
the split in her dress. “You’re going to need your energy.”
Excerpt 2: Fight for Love
Alone
in the house with Rafael, Rebekah’s pulse hammered a warning, alerting her she
was at a disadvantage.
“Was
there anything else you wanted to ask me?”
“We
were discussing how tense you were.” His voice was dangerously low and
inviting.
“And
I told you, I’m not tense. I’m fine.”
“Turn
around.” The words conjured erotic images of him behind her. “Let me give you a
massage.”
“Oh.”
The erotic image dissipated. “I’m fine. Really.”
“You
used to like my massages.” His voice lowered even more.
Magic
hands, she used to call him. Once he’d eased the tension in her shoulders and
back, he would ease the aching in her loins with firm, sure strokes.
“Relax,”
he said, taking matters into his own hands and turning her around so she faced
the table. His long fingers began to move in a soothing motion across the
knotted muscles. “You’re really tense, amada.”
The
initial touch of his hands sent jolts of electricity darting across her skin.
Despite his size and strength, his fingers moved gently across her shoulder
blades, kneading the tight tissue with the skill of a professional masseur. Having
been an athlete for years, he’d mastered the technique of manipulating the
various muscles. He applied the right amount of pressure, and her eyes drifted
closed. She had no choice but to let go and soften to his touch.
“That’s
better,” he whispered.
The
warmth exuding from him caressed her skin, making the back of her neck tingle.
The slow ascension of arousal began somewhere deep inside her and climbed at a
steady pace through her body.
He
abandoned her shoulder to encircle one wrist and brought the back of her hand
to his lips. Her eyes flew open.
The
other hand slid down the length of the A-line skirt, smoothing over the
roundness of her hip. She heard him take a deep breath. “Now I remember.” His
voice rumbled close to her ear. “Pomegranate Orchard is the name of the scent
you wear.”
“Rafe,
I’ve already warned you.” She retrieved her hand with a firm twist. A pulsing
awareness thrummed through her, making her breathless and needy, wanting him
with every fiber of her being. She turned to face him.
Bracing
a hand on either side of her, he trapped her between him and the round table.
“I’m not good at following directions.”
“Keep
your hands to yourself.”
“You
didn’t mind a moment ago.”
“I
mean it.” She didn’t sound as harsh as she wanted to.
A
crooked, unconcerned smile appeared on his face. “Well, if you don’t want my
hands on you,” he said, “maybe my mouth is more to your liking.”
Excerpt 3: Private Acts
The
sound of applause and cheers from the crowd caught his attention. The first performer
had left the stage, and a new performer, a woman, had taken his place. She was
the reason the crowd had gone wild. She tapped the microphone to check the
acoustics and smiled at the audience. With her dark skin, she stood out from
the other patrons of a paler complexion. Outside of the small number of
Afro-Ecuadorians in the country, it was unusual to see Blacks in town.
“Hola
amigos!” she said, resulting in an enthusiastic response of hollering and
whistling from the crowd. She even received an enthusiastic greeting from the
women.
“Who
is she?”
“That
is Samirah Jamison.”
Miguel
glanced at his friend, who stood staring at the stage with his beefy arms
crossed over his chest and a goofy smile on his face. His gaze slid back to the
stage. Who was this woman that she warranted such a reception from the entire
bar?
She
was attractive, he admitted, with long black hair parted in the middle and
allowed to tumble into waves past her shoulders, brushing each cheek to frame
her face. In fact, she looked like a piece of art. His artist eyes took a slow
tour of her body, taking in each line and curve. The brightly-colored fitted
shirt dipped to a vee over her abundant breasts. The shirt tucked into the
waistband of a pair of denim, painted-on white capris that left little to the
imagination and accentuated the hourglass narrowness of her waistline.
His
eyes made their way back up to her face and the brilliant smile she wielded
like a weapon at her admirers. She must be a good singer to elicit such
adoration. At least he thought so until she started singing her rendition of “I
Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
At
first he couldn’t believe how bad she was, but twenty-five seconds in the song
picked up tempo, and so did she. The crowd started clapping when she pulled the
mike from the stand and began to dance around the stage. She made eye contact
with patrons at the first few tables, leaning forward to sing to individuals in
the audience.
Silver
hoops peeked between the strands of her thick hair and caught the light as she
moved her body, gyrating her hips and sashaying across the stage while
enthusiastically singing off key. She was obviously enjoying herself, holding
her head up high and waving her hands with attitude about how she would
survive.
Miguel
found himself enthralled like everyone else, unable to take his eyes off of
her. What she lacked in singing ability, she more than made up for in her
performance. At one point, she turned her back to the audience and looked over
her shoulder, crooning into the microphone with one hand on her swaying hips
and a seductive smile on her lips. His body reacted to her movements. His groin
muscles contracted as she teased him and every red-blooded man in the place
into noticing her generous backside—and imagining doing all sorts of salacious
things to it.
Miguel
picked up his beer and took a sip to wet his suddenly dry tongue. As she neared
the end of the song, she incorporated a shimmy, moving her body in a snakelike,
provocative manner.
She
stopped for a moment to lift her right hand in the air to hit a particularly
difficult note—which she didn’t hit. As the song ended, her arm reached for the
ceiling, and her head fell back as she became lost in the music. She held the
pose for long seconds as the customers jumped to their feet and clapped.
She
hadn’t removed an item of clothing, but her performance resulted in the same
reaction as a strip tease. Miguel remained frozen, his eyes riveted on the
smooth column of her throat and the tight arch of her body. An uncomfortable,
tightening sensation spread across his chest, and he released his suspended
breath.
“That
is Samirah,” Seth yelled over the noise of thunderous applause he joined in
with everyone else.
Excerpt 4: Second Chances
“This
situation is impossible. How can we live together with this much animosity
between us? We’re not even being civil to each other,” Sabrina said.
“I am
being civil.”
She stopped breathing as he came forward,
stopping in front of her, forcing her to tip her head back to maintain eye contact.
His closeness made her want to touch the hard contours of his face—the lean
jaw, the strong chin.
It took so much energy to fight him. And
every time she was near him, she became so damn weak.
“But that’s not what you want, is it?” he
said. “You want to pretend that what you did never happened.”
“That’s not true. I understand what I did
changes everything, but you won’t accept my explanation. You won’t let me make
things right.”
“And would you offer me the same if the
roles were reversed?”
“I think I would. I love you. I think I’d
at least try—give you a chance to—I wouldn’t just toss you out like you were nothing. I—” She stopped and swallowed.
She was too emotional and her words were coming out all jumbled. “What’s the
point? You think I’m vile. You can’t stand me—can’t even stand to look at me.”
She couldn’t forget the harsh words he’d thrown at her.
He was silent for a moment, watching her
with an intensity that made her squirm internally.
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind,” he finally
said, slowly. He lifted one of her curls and rubbed it between his fingers.
“Maybe this animosity between us is based on something else.”
Sabrina swallowed past the constriction of
her throat. She understood what he was saying as the air became charged with an
undercurrent of sexual tension. He watched her with an open hunger that hadn’t
been visible moments ago.
“We’ve always had a hard time keeping our
hands off each other. Maybe we shouldn’t deprive ourselves and just do what
comes naturally.”
Sabrina stepped back, using distance to
keep from getting sucked into the enticing words. “So you want to use me to get
off and then toss me aside when this is over? I don’t think so.”
“I can change your mind.”
“You can’t.”
“Oh, I think I can.” His confidence irked
her. “The way you responded to me the other day. It may have started as a
seduction to get more money, but you wanted me as much as I wanted you. And why
shouldn’t I get what you gave to another man so willingly?”
“Unless you had marital relations written
into the contract, you’re out of luck. Even if you did, I wouldn’t let you use
me in that way.”
“I see the look in your eyes.” He smiled.
“It’s your own fault, you know. You shouldn’t have tried to seduce me.”
“That’s not what I was doing.” She had
been pleading with him for forgiveness, but he couldn’t see past her betrayal.
“No? That’s how it appeared, and it now
has me thinking of how moving you back into the apartment could be mutually
satisfying. After all, we both know what kind of woman you are. I wouldn’t want
you to be tempted to stray again.”
Pain rifled through her. He wanted to
treat her like the whore he thought she was. “I hate you for talking to me like
this.”
His eyes narrowed, and he grabbed her
chin. She caught his wrist to force him to let go, but he didn’t release her.
The heat of his touch sent her hormones spiraling out of control. She didn’t
move, didn’t want to move, and hated how right he was about her need for him.
After a prolonged stare, Renaldo rubbed
his thumb across her lips. They parted and trembled as she fought to keep from
sucking his finger into her mouth.
“Hate is passion, minha esposa,” he said.
“And I welcome yours. Do you know why? Because you could never hate me as much
as I hate myself for still wanting you.”
Excerpt 5: More Than a Mistress
Maybe it was the wine or just the quiet
comfort of the house, but Sonia relaxed into an enjoyable conversation with
Esteban as they finished the meal. When her plate was clean, she patted her
stomach.
“Thank you, that was delicious.” She
drained the last of the wine from her glass and stood, reluctant to leave but
not wanting to overstay her welcome.
The legs of Esteban’s stool scraped the
floor when he pushed it back. “Thank you for joining me.” He went over to the
desk, opened the top drawer, and withdrew an envelope, the same as he’d done
the first time.
Sonia quietly took it. “Thank you. Good
night.” She turned to leave.
“What do you do when you go home at night,
alone?”
Esteban’s voice stopped her departure. He
settled his butt on the edge of the desk and folded his arms, waiting for an
answer.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a shame that you sleep alone. I
sleep alone. Maybe we should sleep together.”
She laughed, heart racing. “Are you
drunk?”
“I’m quite sober. All night with my guests
you were charming, funny, sweet. They like you. I like you. So why do you go
home alone?”
She hadn’t told him about Pedro, that the
man whose résumé she’d handed him at the first party was her boyfriend. At the
very least, he ensured she didn’t spend every night alone, though that hadn’t
been the case for a while. They’d been drifting apart.
“Thank you for this.” She held up the
envelope and folded it, tucking it into the pocket of her jumpsuit. “I
appreciate your generosity more than you know, but the extent of our
conversation should center around business.”
“There’s more than business between us, querida. You know that as well as I do.
You pretend with me, but I’m no fool. If I kissed you right now, you would kiss
me back.”
Her heart rate quadrupled. “If you kissed
me right now, I’d slap you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
The arrogant, smug way he dismissed her
comment inflamed her anger. “Why do you sleep alone, Esteban?” she asked,
throwing caution to the wind. “Other than the woman I saw you with after
Arturo’s party, is there anyone in your life? Do you have a girlfriend?”
“I don’t have girlfriends. I don’t need
girlfriends.”
“Of course you don’t. You have your cars
and your big house and your private plane, which makes women flock to you, I’m
sure. It doesn’t matter if you have a heart, because all that matters is the
money.”
“Having a heart is for weak fools. When
you have a heart, it gets trampled on by selfish people who don’t give a damn
about you and your heart. You want to
know what matters, Sonia?” He pushed off from the desk and came closer, his
dark eyes glittering down at her. “Money, querida,
is what matters. You don’t want to hear that, but it’s the truth. Money is more
important than heart. More important than love.”
“I feel sorry for you.”
“Really? Is that what you feel, when you look at me with those big
brown eyes, as if you want to tear my clothes off? When you look at me and lick
your lips, as if you want to lick my skin?”
“I-I don’t do that.”
He let out a dark chuckle, one filled with
the raw hunger of a man who’d reached the edge of restraint. “I’d have to be
blind not to see how much you want me, and I’ve been very patient, giving you
time to get used to me, but tonight, you’ve tested me in this outfit. You’re
not wearing a bra, and I can see your nipples pressing against the fabric. But
you know that, don’t you? That’s why you wore it.”
“That’s not true!” Sonia’s voice shook
with the need to make him believe the lie. That she hadn’t worn this
one-shouldered jumpsuit with him in mind. That she hadn’t considered how the
royal-blue color looked against her skin, or spent much too much time making
sure her face, hair, and makeup were perfect.
“Business?” Esteban continued with a
scoff. “You weaken what’s between us to business—what’s been between us from
the beginning.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.
There’s nothing between us, and I’m leaving.”
His hand snaked out and caught her wrist.
“Admit you feel the way that I do.”
She twisted her arm, but he refused to
release her. “You said you were hiring me to be a wine consultant. Nothing
more.”
“I lied.”
He gently pulled her into his body and her
skin came alive. Looking down into her face, he gave her ample time to resist.
When she didn’t, his nostrils flared and his mouth crashed down over hers.
Excerpt 6: Undeniable
“There’s
nothing wrong with me asking questions,” Santiago said.
“Then
maybe you should direct your questions to Emilio.”
“I’m
directing them to you.”
“Your
questions are completely unnecessary. This is not how Esteban works. He does
not micromanage us.”
“I’m
not Esteban.”
“You’ve
got that right,” Abena muttered.
“I
get the feeling you don’t want me here.” Santiago’s eyes hardened, but managed
to be enticing with their long-lashed, sultry appearance.
She
sent him her best fake smile. “You must be psychic.”
“If
I were psychic, I would have known what a sneaky little liar you are.”
So
he wanted to fight. The inflection in his voice didn’t change a bit. He used
the same pleasant tone while lashing her with his words.
“The
only liar in this room is standing at the door.” Abena crossed her legs and
affected a pose of relaxed indifference.
“What
exactly did I lie about?”
Nothing.
She was the one who’d lied to herself, convinced she was ready for a casual
affair, when clearly she hadn’t been.
Santiago
laughed softly. “Just as I thought, you’re projecting.”
“I
really don’t care what you think. Please run along. I have work to do.”
“Run
along?”
He
laughed softly again, which meant he was extremely aggravated. It was a trick
he used to calm his anger, because Santiago was all about calm and charm.
Charming workers. Charming business associates. Charming women with commands
like “Take off your panties.”
“Is
that how you talk to your fiancé?” he asked. “The poor man doesn’t get any
respect, does he? Or maybe he doesn’t know how to handle a woman like you.”
“He
knows how to handle me just fine. Every. Night. As many times as I desire.” She
flashed him a disingenuously sweet smile and hoped he didn’t see clear through
to the huge lie she just told.
His
mouth lifted at one corner, but his eyes turned to gray steel.
“You
like doing that, don’t you? You like rubbing my f**king face in it.” The smile
disappeared as quickly as it arrived, and his mouth tightened with the same
tension that arced through the room.
“Much
as you hate me reminding you of my relationship, you keep bringing it up. Don’t
you have someone else to bother? I’m busy.”
Abena
shifted her gaze to the computer screen and double-tapped the spreadsheet on
her desktop. Seconds later, she became conscious of Santiago moving away from
the door and walking toward her.
Her
gaze snapped to him. “What are you doing?”
He
rounded the corner of her desk.
“I
said, what are you doing?” Abena asked, louder this time. She scooted back in
the wheeled chair and bumped into the wall. Her stomach tightened in panic as
she looked up at him.
Santiago
slammed his hands on the armrests and brought their faces within inches of each
other. He leaned in, that sinfully delicious mouth of his close enough to bite.
The
pit of her stomach trembled at his nearness, while his aftershave filled her
nose and made her nostrils quiver. The fragrance held remnants of mint and
notes of pine. Masculine, very male, and pure Santiago.
A
smirk emerged on his sensual lips. “Oh Abena, querida,” he purred.
Swallowing, she kept her face expressionless, staring right back at him. “Why
do you hide behind your diamond, pretending you’re happy?” His lip curled in
distaste as he glanced down at the ring on her finger.
Abena
curled her hand into a fist on her lap. “I’m not pretending.”
One
large foot slid between hers and forced her knees apart, his eyes boring into
hers. She drew in a sharp breath, reminded of the position she’d been in on his
desk two years ago in Argentina.
“Not
pretending? We both know that’s a lie. Sadly, you’re in denial. You accepted
his ring, but we know the truth, you and I, don’t we? When you wake up next to
Dr. Appiah, you’re filled with regret and disappointment, no? And you know why,
don’t you?” He paused, his eyes glinting into hers. “You’re going to make me
say it? Okay, I will. You’re filled with regret and disappointment, mi amor,
because no matter how perfect he looks on paper, when you’re lying next to him,
the only thing you can think about, is me.”
Santiago
straightened and looked down at her for one long, charged moment before he
walked out of the room with a confident stride.
He
left Abena behind to deal with his scent lingering in the air and a deafening
but telling silence filling the room. Silence that exposed the fact that she
hadn’t denied a single word he’d said.
Stuff about you:
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to
you!
Most of the interesting things that happen to me occur when
I travel. At home, I’m pretty boring. I’ve had my passport stolen, which was a
scary experience. I’ve met some not-so-nice people while traveling, but I’ve
also made lifelong friends that I can’t imagine my life without.
One of the most interesting things that ever happened to me
was being stuck overseas during the pandemic. I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
and by that the only flights to the States were via Eastern Airlines, and they
were only flying into Miami.
The first time I tried to fly out, my flight was cancelled,
but at least before I left for the airport. The second time, I made it to the
airport. We had to go through several Covid checkpoints on the way there, and
when we arrived, the airport was like a ghost town. The only flight leaving
that day was the one going to the United States.
The plane was supposed to leave at 9 in the morning. We didn’t
leave until after 4 p.m.! It was a long, draining day, and I had a terrible
headache by the time we boarded. I hated that I was crammed into a full
airplane with a bunch of people (not a single seat was empty), and half of us
didn’t have masks. I myself kept a scarf tied around my nose and mouth, but I
had to remove it to eat and drink. I prayed I didn’t catch Covid.
What was the lesson that I learned? When a pandemic sweeps
across the world, head home immediately. I don’t think I’ve ever been as
relieved as when we landed safely in Miami!
Where were you born/grew up?
I was born and raised on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. I
tell everyone that St. Thomas is the most beautiful island in the world. I’m
totally not biased. Ha!
Most recently, I wrote a romantic suspense novel—Forever
Again—which takes place on St. Thomas. There’s a short blog post on my site
about growing up on the island, called A
Love Letter to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Which of your novels can you imagine being made into a
movie?
There are two series I think would make a great movie or
series for a streaming service.
The first is my most popular series, The Johnson Family,
about a black billionaire family that runs a beer and restaurant conglomerate
out of Seattle.
I also think The Cordoba Agency series would make a great
movie or Netflix series. There are car chases, explosions, shootouts—all the
stuff I enjoy as an avid watcher of action flicks. I would love, love, love
to see those scenes brought to life by a great director.
Fingers crossed that one or both of these make it to the
screen one day.
Stuff about the Book:
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in More
Than a Mistress?
More Than a Mistress is the 6th book in
the Latin Men series, and the hero is Esteban Galiano, a wealthy restaurateur
from Argentina. His flagship restaurant is La Cocina Patagonia, which he established
on South Beach. It serves South American cuisine, from Peruvian ceviche to Argentine
grilled meats with fresh made chimichurri. He’s focused on his work but also takes
time to enjoy his wealth. He loves beautiful women and spends his money buying
beautiful things—homes, cars, art. When he sees Sonia, he’s smitten and desperately
wants to make her his.
Sonia Kennedy, the heroine, is not interested in Esteban when
they first meet. She thinks he’s arrogant, but she’s also involved with someone
else. Her boyfriend is a pastry chef. Sonia is a sommelier struggling to make
her way in the restaurant industry. She’s kind and often thinks about other
people. One would think being attractive would be a blessing, but for her it’s
a curse that has caused her some pain throughout her life in personal and
business relationships. People often don’t trust her or don’t take her
seriously. She is, however, good at her job and hopes to one day become a
certified sommelier.
Initially, she wants nothing to do with Esteban, but he does
wear her down. She’s attracted to him, and she decides to use her looks for a
change. If this wealthy man wants to take care of her financially—she’s going
to let him.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to
play the lead?
That’s an easy question to answer! For most of the novels I
write, I create a Pinterest board with actors or models I think would be
perfect for playing the characters and use them for inspiration. In the case of
More Than a Mistress, the very sexy and handsome D.J. Cotrona would make
the perfect Esteban, and the lovely Grace Gealey would make the perfect Sonia.
If you’d like to see what they look like and other images
that inspired elements in the story, you can visit
the Pinterest page.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all
come entirely from your imagination?
The characters are purely from my imagination. I do not know
any billionaire restaurateurs or gorgeous sommeliers. J
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you
feel like you have the reins of the story?
I have the reins of the stories I write, but I admit that
every blue moon there are characters who want to do their own thing. For
example, when I was writing Private Acts (Latin Men, book 3), Miguel and
Samirah had great chemistry. Right from the beginning, they were eye-f**king
each other.
It’s a strange thing to say because they’re characters in my
head, but they came alive in such a way that I struggled to keep them off each
other, LOL.
Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?'-type tidbits
about the author, the book or the writing process of the book.
In the novel More Than a Mistress (Latin Men, book 6),
Sonia, the heroine, is a sommelier. Here are some interesting things I learned
while conducting research for the book.
1. The Master Sommelier Diploma is the
highest achievement in the world of wine.
At the time I wrote the novel, only 230 people in the entire world had
reached such a high level of achievement. People who study for the exam tend to
do so for hours on end and dedicate themselves to it for years, often ignoring
friends and family in the process. The documentary Somm is an excellent resource to see what life is like for the
diploma candidates.
2. Proper wine service etiquette dictates
that women are served first, then men, and the person who ordered the wine is
served last. If the person who ordered the wine is a woman, she is still served
last.
3. The world of sommeliers is
male-dominated, but women tend to be better wine tasters because women, particularly
of reproductive ages, have a better sense of smell than men. (Who knew?)
4. According to the wine institute,
California produces 85 percent of U.S. wine, making it the number four top wine
producer in the world! That’s after Italy, Spain, and France.
5. Which country drinks the most wine per
capita? Vatican City. That’s because they drink wine for communion, and the
Vatican is filled with elderly males who eat communally in large groups, all of
which increases the propensity for wine consumption.
6. Bonus: oenophobia is an intense
fear or hatred of wine.
Stuff about Writing/ Reading:
How long have you been writing?
I’m honestly not sure how long I’ve been writing. If I had
to guess, I’d say since junior high, maybe? I’ve always loved to read, but I
didn’t start reading romance until around age eleven. They were Barbara Cartland
books I borrowed from the local library. Eventually, I graduated to Harlequin
Presents.
I wrote my first romance novel on a typewriter when I was fourteen,
and my friends passed it around school. Many years later, a small e-press
released my first book, The Arrangement (Latin Men, book 1) in November of
2010. That started me on my journey of being a romance author, and I’ve been
writing full-time ever since.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing
a book?
I do minimal research before I start writing because ideas
come to me as I’m writing. I mainly research the profession of the characters
and the setting. Additional research is conducted as the story progresses.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I need silence, otherwise I can’t concentrate and can’t get
into the writing zone. You’ll never see me writing at a coffee shop unless I’m
just in the research phase. The only noise I can tolerate is the sound of rain.
If I’m having a hard time concentrating, I’ll put in earphones and listen to rain
at rainymood.com, which helps me become hyper-focused and get my writing done.
Pen or typewriter or computer?
Computer, although I’ve been known to use pen and paper when
I get stuck. Sometimes getting away from the computer can unlock ideas.
Apparently, we use a different part of our brains when we use a computer vs
using pen and paper. If I’m suffering from writer’s block, that’s one way I’ve
found to help me become unblocked.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers
what they want?
I do try to deliver what readers want. At the end of the
day, they’re paying for a product, and I don’t want them to be disappointed.
However, on occasion I add my own spin on stories. For
instance, I’ve written several secret baby plot novels because it’s one of my
favorite tropes. Fight for Love (Latin Men, book 2) is a secret baby novel.
When Rafael finds out he has a son, he demands to be part of his life and
whisks his son and the heroine to his home in L.A. She’s a teacher, and he’s a
multi-millionaire former wrestler.
On the flip side, Unforgettable (Johnson Family, book
1) also has a secret baby plot, but I tried to be more original by making the
heroine a billionaire. She didn’t need the hero to take care of her and her daughter,
unlike what we usually see in secret baby stories.
Not only that, Lucas did not want to be a father, and
unlike Rafael, he walked away when he learned he had a child. He had his
reasons, but it’s not often you see the hero walk away. Usually he falls in
love with the child (like Rafael did), is more than ready to be a father, and might
even demand that he and the heroine get married.
I strongly believe in giving readers what they want. But if
you can write the same thing—yet different—it can add unique conflict and make
the story interesting in a new way.
ORIGINAL BLOG POST
Behind the Scenes: How Authors Research Novel Settings
Have you ever finished a story and had an overwhelming urge
to book a flight to the setting in the novel?
Have you ever read a romance novel and felt you were in
the location with the hero and heroine? You smelled the salty ocean, felt the
burn of the sun, and tasted the spices in the local cuisine?
If you answered “Yes” to those questions, you were lucky
enough to experience a well-written setting by an author who did their research.
Writing setting well requires more than just imagination, especially
if it’s a real place. If authors get the setting right, we transport a reader
and add depth and authenticity to the story.
We accomplish those things by using three approaches:
conducting interviews, online research, and visiting the location.
Conducting Interviews
Conducting interviews comes down to communicating with
locals. Whether the setting is a bustling city like New York or takes place on
a tropical island in the middle of the Caribbean, locals can offer valuable
insight that we might not gain from standard research.
I tend to prefer conducting interviews by email, sending the
questions ahead of time and having the source write the answers. That way I’ll
have the answers in written form, as a reference tool.
When I send a series of questions to the local expert, I give
them enough time to respond and then follow up with additional questions if necessary.
Sometimes we might have a phone call for a detailed discussion. I did that
recently when I spoke to a historian as I conducted research for one of my
romantic suspense novels.
By tapping into locals’ knowledge, we give the reader a peek
into little known aspects of the setting that make the location—and ultimately
the book—more memorable.
For instance, those details enhance the dialogue with local
vernacular and colloquialisms from secondary characters. The hero and heroine might
dine at a lesser known restaurant and have a romantic dinner, or the hero might
take the heroine to an off-the-beaten-path beach that tourists don’t know about
for some alone time to woo her.
How authors conduct interviews: by phone, by video, or via email.
Online Research
Online research is the approach I use most often, and it’s
easy to get caught up and go down a rabbit hole. Two hours later, I haven’t
written a word in my story but I know wayyyy too much about the location—most of
which I can’t use in the book! LOL.
If you’re old enough to remember when we bought sets of
encyclopedias, you know what that was like. It seemed like we had so much knowledge
at our fingertips! Yet those books don’t compare to using search engines like
Google today, and the information we find online is more current and not
outdated.
Online research gave me an interesting nugget to include in
my novel Second Chances in the Latin Men series. The setting for the
story is Sao Paulo, Brazil, and as I was conducting my research, I read the
English version of a Brazilian newspaper and learned that outdoor advertising is
banned in the city. That means no billboards.
It’s very possible that I could have made a faux pas and
mentioned a billboard or two as Renaldo and Sabrina were riding in the back of
their chauffeur-driven car. Luckily, I ran across that bit of information and incorporated
it into the story instead.
Resources authors use to conduct online research: online
archives, online periodicals, historical databases, Google maps for examining
the landscape and determining the distance between destinations in the location
we’re writing about, photos, YouTube videos, and travel blogs (one of my
personal favorites).
Visiting the Location
Traveling to the location can be costly and take time.
However, it’s hands down my favorite way to research a setting. Nothing beats
walking down the street and experiencing a location in a personal way.
It allows you to become immersed in the environment and
experience everything—the sights, the sounds, the smell—everything. When
authors are able to do that, our descriptions are better and we give the reader
an up close view of the place where the characters live.
I was able to do that with a couple of the books in the
Latin Men series. More Than a Mistress and Undeniable both take place
in Miami, one of my favorite cities.
Because I’d been to South Beach a number of times, I gave
readers an authentic view of Miami from the characters’ perspectives. I mention
delicious food at restaurants where I’d eaten. I also mentioned the sights and
sounds, such as music blasting from the restaurants and the parade of flashy
cars cruising down the avenue at night, driven by their owners showing off.
How authors conduct in-person location research: We get
there any way we can, or we use our knowledge from places we’ve already
visited.
Honorable mention
Nonfiction travel books and fiction books in the same
setting. Fiction books in the same setting will often spark my interest to conduct
my own research using online resources.
Setting is not the most important element of a story, but spending
a little time to do additional research gives readers a more authentic
experience and hopefully enjoy the time they spend in our characters’ world.
Have you read any novels in a setting that made you want
to call up a travel agent and book a flight right away?
Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of more than 50 contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels, and dozens of romance short stories. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, join her mailing list. And enjoy free stories on her website at delaneydiamond.com.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the post. This sounds like something I would enjoy reading.
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