Guest Post/Giveaway: Fever Dreams by Annabel Joseph

When Characters Surprise You

Hi! I’m happy to be here today talking about my new release, Fever Dream, and about those special characters who surprise an author—usually in the middle of a book!

To be perfectly honest, I never planned Fever Dream, because the subject of the book, Fernando Rubio, was only a secondary character in the first story, Waking Kiss. He was an asshole. A rude pain-in-the-butt. An arrogant diva. I only created him to annoy my heroine. It’s fun to torment your hero and heroine on their way to finding love.

Well, surprise! About halfway through the book, Rubio started to show me sides of him that weren’t rude, but charming. I started to see a little bit of heart in my ruthless diva. A very little bit, but still, it was there. About a third of the way through the story, he stepped up and did a very protective act for the heroine when I least expected it. My goodness. I had to rethink my plans.

It was fun though. I love when characters turn out to be deeper than I originally imagine them. Sometimes I don’t see that depth until the story takes a turn and that turn affects them. With Rubio, he started to feel protective toward my heroine, Ashleigh, and he started to love her a little too along the way. BUT—Ashleigh was already forming a happily ever after with my hero, Liam. Poor Rubio was the third wheel, and really, he wasn’t ready for love yet.

It was okay in the end. Ashleigh and Liam belonged together, and of course, there was someone out there for my rude, asshole, sweet, protective mess of a man. Rubio just needed his own story and his own heroine. And as an author, I was able to create the perfect complement for him: world-famous ballerina Petra.

Petra and Rubio start out at each other’s throats, in competition, but by the end they realize what a perfect match they are. Yay, happily ever after! It just took an extra book for Rubio to get there. I love surprising characters, and I think readers do too. I hope you’ll read Fever Dream, the second book in my BDSM Ballet series, and if you missed the first book, Waking Kiss, it’s on sale for 99 cents through October, at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.

I’m happy to be giving away an ebook set of Waking Kiss and Fever Dream to a lucky commenter! Thanks so much, Sheri, for hosting me!

Fever Dream

Petra Hewitt’s the top ballerina in the world, and The Great Rubio her obvious counterpart, so why does she want to strangle him whenever he’s around? He’s haughty, abrupt, demanding—and alarmingly sexy. Petra knows Rubio is dangerous to her heart, to her peace of mind, and worst of all, to her career, but his rough flirtation compels her. When she gets a chance to play with him at a BDSM party, their professional partnership takes a feverish left turn.

After that, any attempts to keep him at arm’s length falter in the face of his obstinate sexuality. Rubio’s methods are ruthlessly erotic as he introduces her to the pleasures of sadism, bondage, pain, and submission. The more Petra tries to resist him, the more she craves his strength and control.

But as they play their sensual games of dominance and submission, career pressures mount, and an overzealous fan brings dangerous tension to their relationship. Soon, the dream gives way to the stark reality of her vulnerability. Maybe, just maybe, some risks are too terrifying to take.

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