Please welcome today my good friend and fellow author Tali Spencer, who has bravely answered my
questions yet again! Plus she has a new release you're going to flip for. It's called Thick as Thieves, and I knew when I read little snippets of it on Wednesday Briefs that it was something special. Already pre-ordered my copy! This calls for a celebration! I have just the thing, so why don't you get started, Tali?
Tali Answers Julie’s Questions
1) You’re
marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is
that person and what item do you have?
I’d choose my husband Steve, because he
never gives up, ever… and also because I promised him I would never leave home
without him. My item would be a fully staffed cruise ship. We’ve always wanted
to have a cruise ship and private island all to ourselves.
2) Which
musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that
musical are you?
This time around, I’ll say “My Fair Lady.”
I would be Eliza Doolittle. Her relationship with Professor Higgins
unfortunately
mirrors my first marriage. He also wanted someone he could “improve”. I learned
a lot from the relationship but it was as ambiguous as the musical in terms of
whether it could deliver a happy ending.
3) Take
these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them: snore, spotlight, bridle
Master Jacques should have known better
than to choose a narcoleptic for his spotlight scene on pony play. To be sure, his
ponyboy’s burnished leather harness and bridle looked magnificent, a
masterpiece. The flowing tail of black horsehair was a triumph. Unfortunately, Remy
didn’t look so sexy now, flat on the floor with his mouth sagging open. And the
snore was an insult.
Jacques flicked the buggy whip so its short
lash bit sharply into the sweet curve of Remy’s luscious ass. The resulting
sting succeeded in waking the beauty. Remy’s eyes snapped open to show irises
of pansy blue.
4) You’ve
just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you
want. Who do you fuck first and why?
Fafhrd. He’s a seven foot tall barbarian
who appears in a series of stories written by Fritz Leiber. He’s a bit of a
rogue, but he’s also smart, practical, romantic and genuinely enjoys the
company of women. It was between him and Tyrion Lannister.
5) What
is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
We’re back to that cruise ship. Make it a
seven day cruise. I love being on the ocean. There’s something about not having
to anything but whatever we want to do. Spend all day in bed… visit an exotic
port. It’s marvelous. I get very creative when I have time away from writing.
There are so many marvelous ways to have fun with a man, and mine loves to have
fun.
6) When
you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
Usually I start with an image, but I’ll say
character because the image usually involves a character in some way. Thick as Thieves began with the image of
a man and a unicorn horn. It was a pretty racy image.
7) If
they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?
I’d like to say Madonna, because she wears
leather so well. But Gwyneth Paltrow actually looks more like
me. Of course,
she’d have to eat a lot more to truly pull it off. But I’ve seen her in enough
movies to know she could totally nail my personality.
8) Who’s
your favorite horror villain and why?
Cthulhu. I guess I have a thing for
tentacle creatures from the Deep.
9) Do
you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Still Ben Franklin. Gosh, I love Ben. He
was the perfect man: articulate, principled and he had amazing love for
humanity. It’s karma that I moved to the city that made him its signature citizen.
I have a picture of me with Ben—an actor, but he looks and acts like Ben, and
the picture was taken at the site of Ben’s actual house, exactly where he used
to sit under his favorite tree. The photo’s on my desk right beside that of my
husband.
10) Is
there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to
receive it?
Not really. By that I mean I have some
pretty bizarre stories in my head. Stuff that’s pretty far out there. But I
think equally warped work is being produced by other writers and finding
readers. Whether or not I’m ready to go there for all the world to see is the
real question.
Blurb:
After Vorgell the barbarian fucks himself with a unicorn
horn, he ends up in a cell with Maddog, a pretty young thief. It’s lust at
first sight for Vorgell—but honestly, he can’t help it. Unicorn horn is a
potent aphrodisiac, and now he can’t stop thinking about sex. Luckily, Madd is
one male witch who knows how to put Vorgell’s new magical body to good use when
he tricks Vorgell into a kiss that helps them escape.
Vorgell may desire sex in general—and Madd in particular—but
Madd has no intention of being screwed by a man twice his size. He has problems
of his own, including an enchanted collar that causes him to desire his most
hated enemy. He wants that collar off as soon as possible, but that requires
stealing a basilisk egg from the castle they just escaped.
Drawn together by lust and magic, the two men join forces
and soon find themselves up to their necks in witches, wizards, and trouble.
Vorgell and Madd might just be perfect for each other, but first they have to
survive long enough to find out.
Excerpt:
“Be careful!” Vorgell warned.
Madd held his tongue as the woman shaving the barbarian
calmly lopped off another chunk of beard. Thanks to Ibeena’s erection-killing
intervention, Vorgell’s bath had been uneventful. After being divested of a
bagful of coarse and tangled hair, the big man was on the verge of looking
well-groomed.
“There you go.” The woman stepped back and wiped her razor
on a cloth. She gave Madd a lifted eyebrow of congratulations. “Under all that
was a promising man.”
He didn’t deny it. Vorgell’s hair was drying so it gleamed
like a lion’s golden mane, and the shorter beard revealed strong, shapely lips
and a rugged jawline. Even shorn, the man looked disturbingly virile. Blue eyes
shaded by golden lashes swept the woman with smiling invitation.
To his alarm,
she responded by flicking the pink tip of her tongue across her lip.
“Get out. Can’t you see he likes men?” Madd closed the hide
curtain as soon as she’d left. “No witches for you,” he told Vorgell pointedly.
“Why not?” The big man shot him a glare. “She looks pleasant
enough. Women have always been the best fit for my needs. You are not the first
man to refuse my advances. I have often resorted to the soft bodies of women.”
“Well, find some other wench to plow. She’s a witch. Witch
women use sex to create magic. And, you, my friend, have magical spunk.”
Vorgell at least appeared to grasp his point. He turned his
back on Madd and reached for his clothes. Madd savored a glorious view of
immense shoulders, a trim waist, powerful thighs, and a beautiful, sculpted
ass. Damn it, but the barbarian was built like a god! And not just any god.
Vorgell could only be one of the greater gods, a god of storms or of war,
capable of crushing the god of poetry in his fist. The look he cast back at
Madd over his shoulder possessed heat enough to ignite an inferno.
If he wasn’t careful, it just might ignite trouble.
Author Bio
Tali Spencer fell in love with writing at an early age and
never stopped. Thanks to a restless father, she grew up as a bit of a nomad and
still loves to travel whenever she can. Her longest stint in one place was
Milwaukee where she went to college and enjoyed a series of interesting careers
including respiratory therapist, airport executive, and raising three
surprisingly well-adjusted sons. She later married her true love and put down
new roots in Philadelphia, where she lives in an ongoing Italian American
family sitcom. At least she’s learned how make good pasta. When not writing,
Tali reads everything from sweet goofy romances to Lebanese cookbooks, manages
her fantasy football team—go Gekkos!—and takes long walks with her loving, if
slightly neurotic, poodle.
Tali Answers Julie’s Questions
1) You’re
marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is
that person and what item do you have?
I’d choose my husband Steve, because he
never gives up, ever… and also because I promised him I would never leave home
without him. My item would be a fully staffed cruise ship. We’ve always wanted
to have a cruise ship and private island all to ourselves.
2) Which
musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that
musical are you?
This time around, I’ll say “My Fair Lady.”
I would be Eliza Doolittle. Her relationship with Professor Higgins unfortunately
mirrors my first marriage. He also wanted someone he could “improve”. I learned
a lot from the relationship but it was as ambiguous as the musical in terms of
whether it could deliver a happy ending.
3) Take
these three words and give me a 100 word or less scenario using them: snore, spotlight, bridle
Master Jacques should have known better
than to choose a narcoleptic for his spotlight scene on pony play. To be sure, his
ponyboy’s burnished leather harness and bridle looked magnificent, a
masterpiece. The flowing tail of black horsehair was a triumph. Unfortunately, Remy
didn’t look so sexy now, flat on the floor with his mouth sagging open. And the
snore was an insult.
Jacques flicked the buggy whip so its short
lash bit sharply into the sweet curve of Remy’s luscious ass. The resulting
sting succeeded in waking the beauty. Remy’s eyes snapped open to show irises
of pansy blue.
4) You’ve
just been let loose in the world of fiction, with permission to do anyone you
want. Who do you fuck first and why?
Fafhrd. He’s a seven foot tall barbarian
who appears in a series of stories written by Fritz Leiber. He’s a bit of a
rogue, but he’s also smart, practical, romantic and genuinely enjoys the
company of women. It was between him and Tyrion Lannister.
5) What
is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?
We’re back to that cruise ship. Make it a
seven day cruise. I love being on the ocean. There’s something about not having
to anything but whatever we want to do. Spend all day in bed… visit an exotic
port. It’s marvelous. I get very creative when I have time away from writing.
There are so many marvelous ways to have fun with a man, and mine loves to have
fun.
6) When
you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?
Usually I start with an image, but I’ll say
character because the image usually involves a character in some way. Thick as Thieves began with the image of
a man and a unicorn horn. It was a pretty racy image.
7) If
they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?
I’d like to say Madonna, because she wears
leather so well. But Gwyneth Paltrow actually looks more like me. Of course,
she’d have to eat a lot more to truly pull it off. But I’ve seen her in enough
movies to know she could totally nail my personality.
8) Who’s
your favorite horror villain and why?
Cthulhu. I guess I have a thing for
tentacle creatures from the Deep.
9) Do
you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?
Still Ben Franklin. Gosh, I love Ben. He
was the perfect man: articulate, principled and he had amazing love for
humanity. It’s karma that I moved to the city that made him its signature citizen.
I have a picture of me with Ben—an actor, but he looks and acts like Ben, and
the picture was taken at the site of Ben’s actual house, exactly where he used
to sit under his favorite tree. The photo’s on my desk right beside that of my
husband.
10) Is
there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to
receive it?
Not really. By that I mean I have some
pretty bizarre stories in my head. Stuff that’s pretty far out there. But I
think equally warped work is being produced by other writers and finding
readers. Whether or not I’m ready to go there for all the world to see is the
real question.
Blurb:
After Vorgell the barbarian fucks himself with a unicorn
horn, he ends up in a cell with Maddog, a pretty young thief. It’s lust at
first sight for Vorgell—but honestly, he can’t help it. Unicorn horn is a
potent aphrodisiac, and now he can’t stop thinking about sex. Luckily, Madd is
one male witch who knows how to put Vorgell’s new magical body to good use when
he tricks Vorgell into a kiss that helps them escape.
Vorgell may desire sex in general—and Madd in particular—but
Madd has no intention of being screwed by a man twice his size. He has problems
of his own, including an enchanted collar that causes him to desire his most
hated enemy. He wants that collar off as soon as possible, but that requires
stealing a basilisk egg from the castle they just escaped.
Drawn together by lust and magic, the two men join forces
and soon find themselves up to their necks in witches, wizards, and trouble.
Vorgell and Madd might just be perfect for each other, but first they have to
survive long enough to find out.
Excerpt:
“Be careful!” Vorgell warned.
Madd held his tongue as the woman shaving the barbarian
calmly lopped off another chunk of beard. Thanks to Ibeena’s erection-killing
intervention, Vorgell’s bath had been uneventful. After being divested of a
bagful of coarse and tangled hair, the big man was on the verge of looking
well-groomed.
“There you go.” The woman stepped back and wiped her razor
on a cloth. She gave Madd a lifted eyebrow of congratulations. “Under all that
was a promising man.”
He didn’t deny it. Vorgell’s hair was drying so it gleamed
like a lion’s golden mane, and the shorter beard revealed strong, shapely lips
and a rugged jawline. Even shorn, the man looked disturbingly virile. Blue eyes
shaded by golden lashes swept the woman with smiling invitation.
To his alarm[A1] ,
she responded by flicking the pink tip of her tongue across her lip.
“Get out. Can’t you see he likes men?” Madd closed the hide
curtain as soon as she’d left. “No witches for you,” he told Vorgell pointedly.
“Why not?” The big man shot him a glare. “She looks pleasant
enough. Women have always been the best fit for my needs. You are not the first
man to refuse my advances. I have often resorted to the soft bodies of women.”
“Well, find some other wench to plow. She’s a witch. Witch
women use sex to create magic. And, you, my friend, have magical spunk.”
Vorgell at least appeared to grasp his point. He turned his
back on Madd and reached for his clothes. Madd savored a glorious view of
immense shoulders, a trim waist, powerful thighs, and a beautiful, sculpted
ass. Damn it, but the barbarian was built like a god! And not just any god.
Vorgell could only be one of the greater gods, a god of storms or of war,
capable of crushing the god of poetry in his fist. The look he cast back at
Madd over his shoulder possessed heat enough to ignite an inferno.
If he wasn’t careful, it just might ignite trouble.
Author Bio
Tali Spencer fell in love with writing at an early age and
never stopped. Thanks to a restless father, she grew up as a bit of a nomad and
still loves to travel whenever she can. Her longest stint in one place was
Milwaukee where she went to college and enjoyed a series of interesting careers
including respiratory therapist, airport executive, and raising three
surprisingly well-adjusted sons. She later married her true love and put down
new roots in Philadelphia, where she lives in an ongoing Italian American
family sitcom. At least she’s learned how make good pasta. When not writing,
Tali reads everything from sweet goofy romances to Lebanese cookbooks, manages
her fantasy football team—go Gekkos!—and takes long walks with her loving, if
slightly neurotic, poodle.
