Author Interview and Giveaway: Raine Miller talks Ethan, Naked and All In and You Can Win Both!
We are very excited to welcome Ms. Raine Miller, bestselling author of a fave recent What to read After Fifty Shades series : The Blackstone Affair, to Bc!
With all the hoopla and rise in publicity for Raine’s self published titles NAKED and ALL IN, (they’re not #1 and #4 on the Self-Published Bestseller list for nothing!), we wanted to hear from the author herself about the process of getting her smexy British alpha hero Ethan Blackstone and her erotic romance “out there” for us all to enjoy.
What is it about Ethan Blackstone in NAKED that reels readers in?
Well, I can certainly say that the response to Ethan Blackstone has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seems to love this man.
There wasn’t a particular thing I can point to for inspiration except …the Olympics.
It was summer and they were starting up and all the celebrities were coming out for the games and it hit me that someone had to be in charge of organizing all those VIP’s and it would have to be someone special. A military background would be excellent for his credentials and being dominant is always fun in a novel. Out of all my books, Ethan is the most “alpha” hero I have created.
Oh yes! Please do tell us more about how you knew Ethan would be so…dominant.
I love the D/s aspect in the sexual relationship (So do we!) and I used that to the story’s advantage because of Brynne and Ethan’s past traumas. She needs him to be honest and direct during sex, and he needs to be the Dom to her sub. I made him very dominant and very possessive and extremely BUSY with the job of his career. Brynne comes along at the worst possible time in regards to his job responsibilities and he just cannot walk away from her. Ethan is truly changed by her portrait and then of his knowledge that she is at risk. He just cannot handle that this lovely girl (who he is immensely attracted to) could be in danger and he falls hard. He has stresses on many levels: trying to win Brynne’s heart with all her emotional baggage, keeping her safe from those who may be out to harm her; meeting his business responsibilities with the Olympic games and high-profile clients like the Royal Family; and then (SPOILER ALERT FROM book 2 ALL IN) —->his own cousin may be a target for murder.
……so Ethan Blackstone has to be tough to deal with all of that.
As for Ethan’s past, he has been shaped by the early loss of his mother. He references her as “watching over” him and “sends prayers of thanks” up to Mum in heaven in part 2. The loss of his mother cemented his close relationship with his older sister and his dad. His time in the Special Forces was much more tragic. An experience that nearly resulted in his death as a POW in Afghanistan has changed Ethan forever in regards to how he sees himself and in how he needs “control” over aspects of life. He has issues that need working through and will need to reconcile some things in order to move forward with Brynne.
That brings us to his “voice” in Part 2. Ethan’s POV:
Most people loved this POV switch, but there were some critics, too. People that really did not like Ethan’s inner thoughts at all. (Bc: We admit…the change to Ethan’s POV was a bit of a struggle-but only for some of us- and they felt it was a hard switch, BUT we ALL still love Ethan and part 2 of every novella is the tough sell. Like it or not, we love the series and all agree the POV switch was a ballsy choice.) I heard from people that complained that he lost his lovely “alpha-maleness” in exchange for becoming a whiny, jealous, and insecure wuss.
Really?!
This surprised me and I stick to my original idea with Mr. Blackstone. He is still every bit of the alpha male we met in Naked. It’s just that we (the reader) are knowing his inner thoughts. Even the most confident person has insecurities and Ethan is in love with Brynne and doesn’t know if she returns those feelings for him. He also knows about her horrible past and will be more considerate of her needs. He is terrified of losing the first woman he’s ever loved and he wants a relationship with her, not just sex. And while the reader knows of his worries and fears, Brynne does not, nor are 99% of them ever spoken. They are inner dialogue.
Ethan is intelligent enough to know he cannot do/say many of the things he thinks about. Just like we all do. I think it makes him very, very real. I think some of the critics forgot he was just thinking these things and not actually saying them. ;)
Bc: Very good point, well made!
The POV in ALL IN causes a dramatic shift in story.
When Brynne was telling their story in Naked, of course she will describe Ethan as demanding and controlling and sexually dominant, but in their relationship, Brynne has a lot more power than you think she will at first. Again, I believe this makes their relationship all the more realistic to how couples function in life.
I do love to write male POV and feel I do it well. Both of my third person, historical romances are heavier on the hero than the heroine in POV – probably 60/40 in favor of hero. I did have a personal goal as a writer to complete an entire book from the hero’s POV and can now say that I’ve accomplished that with All In. You don’t see it very often in romance novels and I can guess as to why that is. IT’S HARD TO DO.
And finally…there is the beautiful David Gandy.
This man fascinates me and when I was picturing Ethan Blackstone in my mind, he had these lovely blue eyes and scruffy beard and Mr. Gandy was all I could see. He is the perfect muse and has so many pictures to drool over for inspiration that before I could even acknowledge who I was writing about, it was him in my mind.
I did a blog post about him and properly vetted him with a link to his Facebook and blog, saying he was the muse for Ethan. Mr. Gandy’s media assistant found it and contacted me. She told me that David Gandy got more new followers from my blog post in September than from any other source and named the phenomenon ”The Raine Miller Spike”. Well, you can imagine how tickled this made me. That David Gandy would have my name linked with anything in regards to him was pretty awesome. Choosing him for a muse was obviously a very good choice on my part.
What’s next for our favorite British rouge and his American girl?
Ethan Blackstone is in for a wild ride in Part 3 EYES WIDE OPEN, and while the POV is shared between Ethan and Brynne, (Bc: Yay! We love that!) we will still enjoy those inner rants he does so well.
The Ethan we know and love will be around for a long time to come.
—Thank you SO much Raine Miller for that exclusive glimpse at how you brought Ethan Blackstone to life for your readers!
You can check out our review of NAKED here and Tina’s quick and dirty blurb review of ALL IN on Goodreads here. The Bc official review for ALL IN is coming this weekend!
How to enter for a chance to win BOTH of Raine Miller’s NAKED and ALL IN?
Comment below with your contact email. OR if you don’t want to put your email in the comments- click the contact@bookcrack.com link below and you must also email us your contact email. When the giveaway ends- @ Midnight on Thursday, December 6th, we will randomly select and contact ONE lucky winner by email the following day to confirm the email address. NOTE: The “winner” will have 24 hours to respond to the winning email notification. If no response is received within 24 hours, we will randomly select another winner.
Bc will announce a winner via the site (and often twitter and Facebook so be sure to like us and add us to an interest list or subscribe for best “guarantee” you will see it) and we will contact the “winner” via the email address provided. When emailing Bc to claim your prize, you will also need to provide the delivery email address registered to your e-reader. The “prize” ebooks are for Kindle/Nook/compatible ereaders and are being sent by the author; therefore, your submitted email address will be sent to the author so she may in turn, send you your e-book .
Your email will not be shared, published, or spammed and will only be visible in the comments section of the webpage if you submit it there. Promise! So be sure your email is valid and make sure to check your email the day after the contest ends-INCLUDING your SPAM folder! (Just in case our notification email gets directed there.) The Bc Giveaway is open to all US and international readers with compatible ereaders.
Good luck!
Love,
The Bc Gals xo
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I have heard nothing but rave reviews about this series and I can’t wait to read them. I have been holding off buying them in the hopes that I get gift cards for my birthday and Christmas… these will be my gifts!
Thanks for the giveaway
kitcat76(at)hotmail(dot)com
O.K. Am I commenter #1? Lol. I would love to read these! I have read great reviews about the books. They are on my huge list of To Read on Goodreads. And, David Gandy be still my heart….. Sigh…. Sigh… Sigh.
mmalavec(at)med(dot)umich(dot)edu
I really need to rad these books! I love all things Gandy.
jengrm82@yahoo.com
Ohhhhhhhhhhh I would love to win both books!!!!!!
I would love to expand my library.
kimberlyjones1968@gmail.com
I would love to win these books. They look awesome! thefirstsilly.angel@gmail.com
This is on my TR list!!!! Would love it!!
realityfun2@gmail.com
OMG!!! These are on my TBR and sooooooooo want to read them (like yesterday)!!!! I can’t wait to meet Mr. Blackstone.
ldomjanich@comcast.net
These are the best series I’ve read in a long time
I am addicted and am desperately waiting book three. Please hurry I need my fix of Ethan and Brynne ill.
sgarcia412@gmail.com
Love, love love both books and took offense at the critisim about Ethan being less masculine in All In. I thought Raine did a great job and enjoyed reading the inner, heart felt thoughts of Ethan! Thanks Raine!! Can’t wait for Eyes Wide Open!
I have read alot of Rave reviews for Raine Millers Blackstone Affair series and can’t wait to read them. I have to hold off until after Christmas unfortunately. My family has ordered me to stop buying books until then.
I’ve read both books and loved them!
Love Raine. Love Brynne. Love EB.
Love the name of the blog! Have heard many great things on Twitter and can’t wait to get my hands on these books. Thanks.
Kidsue99@yahoo.com
I loved the first two books and am dying to read the third. The story provides us long time married wives a dream of what we use to have, a man that is obsessed with us, adores us and loves our bodies. The love and lust between the characters is addictive and what comes alive is us in our dreams.
OOH I REALLY LOVE THIS BOOK, I ONLY HAVE THE E-BOOK COPY OF THIS, I THINK ITS NOT AVAILABLE IN OUR COUNTRY. IM SO EXCITED TO READ EYES WIDE OPEN. SO MANY CONCLUSION I HAVE IN MIND.. I LOVE ETAHN AND BRYNNE ♥♥♥! WAY TO GO RAINE MILLER!
I just got finished reading both of Raine’s books and they are fabulous!! I have them on my kindle!! I would personally love to have hard copies of them too!! Can’t wait for book 3!!!
Love these books! Raine Miller is not only a great writer, but she is great to her fans
Can’t wait to read Eyes Wide Open!
knmarty7@yahoo.com
I have read both books and absolutely loved them both. How can you help but not fall in love with Ethan…whew the man is just hot! I loved the relationship he has with Brynne and can’t wait to see what book 3 brings to us readers. I just hope its not too long of a wait….
oops…my email address is sarce3us@yahoo.com. Thanks again Raine Miller for the wonderful story of Ethan and Brynne.!
OMG!!!! These are on my TBR. I can’t wait to meet Mr. Blackstone.
LDOMJANICH@COMCAST.NET
My friend on Goodreads has been raving about these books. I really want to read them.
yourloveisasong (at) gmail (dot) com
Congrats Megan you are our winner! An ebook of Raine Miller’s NAKED and ALL IN are all yours. Congrats
Check your email asap. xo The Bc Gals
Yay! Thank you so much!!!