NY Times Best-Selling Author Lexi Post Is Here!

I am happy to have Lexi Post with us today! She is a NY Times and USA Today best-selling author of erotic romance based on classic works. Join us and learn what Lexi is up to, and even try for a chance to win one of her e-books! So, sit back, kick your boots off and pour a cup or glass of whatever suits your fancy, and let's talk books!

ANNA: Hi, Lexi! Thank you for stopping by today. Your new series sounds intriguing. Tell us about it!

LEXI POST: Hi, Anna, thank you for having me for a visit. I'm very excited to be included in a new boxed set coming out Thursday. It's called HOT WESTERN NIGHTS, and it includes my book, Cowboys Never Fold, which is the first in the Poker Flat series. In fact, all the stories in this boxed set are the first in a series! It's available now for pre-order on Amazon. This set is full of cowboys and one Native American, along with a little mystery and paranormal thrown in for good measure. Some stories are HOT while others are sweeter.

ANNA:  So there's something for every reader! Cowboys always make a good read. But is there a different genre you would like to try someday?

LEXI: Right now, I'm writing erotic romance inspired by the classics and I'm loving it. Classic literature just makes my mind take off in all kinds of directions.

ANNA: I know what you mean. I am inspired by so many different things, and a lot of them come from other books or movies. Are all your books erotic romance?

LEXI: I have three completed manuscripts that are the first in their series, and they are simply romance without the "erotic." So I hope to be writing and selling those some day as well.

ANNA: It's fun to try new story lines and genres. I find that switching back and forth between westerns, Regency era, and contemporary romances keeps me from getting bored. How would you characterize your writing style?

LEXI:  According to my agent, I write "erotic romance with a whole lotta story!" Because I'm inspired by classic literature, the background of my characters is already deep, which gives me so much to work with when it comes to story. For example, in COWBOYS NEVER FOLD, I used Bret Harte's 1869 short story called "The Outcasts of Poker Flat." In that story, Harte threw together a gambler, a prostitute, a madam, a drunk, and two innocents. As one of my reviewers said, it sounds like the beginning of a joke! I switched the original story up with Kendra, my heroine, as the former professional gambler who hires a cowboy, Wade (the innocent), to set up and manage the new stables of her soon-to-open nudist resort. I filled the resort with the other characters from the original story, added a hacker, and - TA DA! I had so much to work with I had to make it a series!

ANNA: That sounds like a great adaptation! I especially like that the "bad boy" character is actually your heroine. Taking a fresh twist on a classic is exciting and new. Many authors take favorite themes from their favorite authors. Speaking of which, who are your favorites?

LEXI: From my childhood, it would be Louisa May Alcott. From my days as a romance reader, it would be Johanna Lindsey and Julie Garwood. Now, as a writer, I read Jennifer Ashley and all my other writer friends that I can.


ANNA: Louisa May Alcott was one of my first favorites. I even turned a corner of our freezing cold garage into a "writing garrett" like Jo March had! I wonder, how many romance authors were inspired by Alcott's chaste love scenes, when Laurie kissed Jo and Mr. Brooke proposed to Meg? What should new readers know about you, Lexi?

LEXI: I love hearing from readers! Chatting about the characters in the stories is so much fun, and no one understands that except for my readers. I had a chance to have dinner with some of them at Romantic Times convention this year and that was so fun!

ANNA: That would be exciting for you to meet with your readers, as well as for them to meet you! It sounds like you take care of your readers.

LEXI: I send monthly Lexi Post Updates to keep my readers abreast of what's next. I also offer prizes, cover reveals, and sneak peeks as well as other opportunities just for them. To receive my update coming out on Sept. 2,  join here.

ANNA: Thank you again for stopping by, Lexi, and for the wonderful excerpt. We wish you luck in your writing career and with the new POKER FLAT series!

LEXI: Thank you so much for having me, Anna. It's been so great to chat with you.

ANNA: Readers, please enjoy the PG-rated excerpt below! And remember to leave a comment to be entered to win a fabulous, free e-book!

EXCERPT:

  Striding toward the front desk, she noticed Wade and Lacey getting into a golf cart. Now why did Lacey have to show him where the stables were? Couldn’t he see them for himself?

  Irritation had her taking another swallow. Pushing open one of the tall tinted doors that welcomed visitors to the resort, she stepped out into the heat.

  Lacey was explaining. “Don’t worry, it’s actually a rule that we keep our clothes on during our shift. Just be forewarned, Adriana does like men, so you may want to be on your guard with her.”

  Wade smiled. “Good to know.”

  Kendra gritted her teeth. The cowboy didn’t need a personal escort to the stables. Her bookkeeper/receptionist had a lot of work to do. “Lacey, did you show Wade his casita?”

  The pretty girl started as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “Oh, I didn’t know you were here. Yes, I did. I was going to explain the stables to Wade, but I need to reconcile the bedding shipment with what we received.”

  Kendra’s muscles relaxed. “Go ahead and do the shipment. I’ll point out the way. We’re shorthanded as it is and your abilities are critical to Poker Flat.”

  Lacey blushed. “Okay. Thanks.”

   As Lacey walked into the building, Kendra studied the cowboy. He considered her with equal interest, but it wasn’t admiration. He appeared puzzled and that gave her a certain amount of satisfaction. She never revealed her hand.

  Strolling over to the cart, she took one more swallow of her shake. “Have you ever driven a golf cart?”

  The brim of his hat shaded his face, but his expression was easily read. “Yes, actually. I helped my little sister with a few of her golf tournament fundraisers.”

   Oh boy, this cowboy was far too good for the likes of Poker Flat. One more reason for her to stay away. “Good. Then take the path marked with the horse’s head. We made all the signs easy for guests to follow.”

  He looked at the sign, putting his face in profile again. Shit, he was as handsome from the side as from the front. She had the unusual urge to nip at his jawline.

   “That’s smart. I wish all vacation spots did that.”

  His compliment surprised her, and she shifted her weight to her right leg, jutting out her hip. “I had to do that because our employee base isn’t large and I didn’t want to waste staff positions on golf cart drivers.”

  He turned back to her and smiled. “Another smart idea.”

   Completely uncomfortable with his praise and inviting smile, she ignored his comment. “In your office you should find enough to get started. Make a list of anything there you need as well as anything else for marking trails and suggestions for horses. I plan on having guests chauffeured from the garage to the resort in a wagon and I want to offer trail rides for those who are more adventurous. Remember, all guests will be nude, so if there are any special supplies we need in order to make sitting a horse comfortable, write them down too.”

  His smile disappeared. “Wait, you want people to ride horses while naked?”

  “Of course. This is a nudist resort.”

  “I’m sorry, but you can’t do that.”

   She opened her mouth to tell him she could do whatever she wanted, but he kept talking.

   “If a person rides naked, they will have burns not only on their legs where they brush the saddle, but also in other areas that I guarantee you they will not be happy about.”

  She pondered that for a moment. Maybe that was why no other resort offered nude horseback riding, why Buddy and Ginger had longed for that experience so much. So if she could figure it out, it would make her place even more unique than it was. “I’m sure we can come up with a way around that. We’ll go over it tonight.”

  He frowned and her stomach tensed. “Dinner is at six. Don’t be late. You don’t want to miss Selma’s cooking and you don’t want to make her mad at you either.”

  “Why Ms. Lowe?”

  “Trust me. I was late one night and I found my quesadilla riddled with hot pepper sauce so fiery it burned my mouth for two days. You’re better off not showing up at all.”

  He grinned and her stomach relaxed. “Okay, I’ll be on time.”

  “Good, and Wade…”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not high society and I’m not married anymore, so as I said before, we can drop the Ms. Lowe.”

He bowed his head and she could have sworn he was hiding a smile, but when he looked at her, he was dead serious. “I’ll remember that, Kendra.”

  Her throat closed as he spoke her name, a strong rush of heat invading her body. Nodding once, she turned around and strode back to the building, throwing her empty shake can in the trash outside before stepping into the coolness of the resort.

   Damn, she liked the sound of her name on his lips. Staying away from that cowboy was going to be very, very hard.

 
Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of erotic romance. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels. In an effort to marry her two first loves, she started writing erotic romance inspired by the classics and found she loved it. Lexi believes there is no end to the romantic inspiration she can find in great literature. Her books are known as "erotic romance with a whole lot of story."

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her cat in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you will never see her without a hat.

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