Cassidy Hunter - Author Interview and giveaway

The wonderful Cassidy Hunter is kicking off our Paranormal week(ish) part of the Perfect Man event. Here on my blog, she will be talking to us about her idea of the perfect male character, introducing us to a few of her leading males and giving us her views on why the Romance genre has been getting some unwarranted negative attention. Over on Dawns blog, there will be a review of Beyond the Shadows. I had the pleasure of reviewing this last month and its well worth a read so go and see what Dawn has to say.

On another note, Cassidy has also agreed to 3 separate giveaways...*yay* :D They are ALL international and will close on the 17th. You can get an entry for commenting here, and an entry for commenting over at Dawns.

The prizes are; 

1) 1 x Asylum and Sanctuary double giveaway (Menage/shifters)

2) 1 x Beyond the Shadows giveaway (mild BDSM)

3) 1 x Strange Familiar giveaway (erotic PNR)

Welcome to the blog Cassidy. First question, what makes the “perfect “male character for you?

I adore alphas. I like a tough, seductive, extremely passionate man who isn’t afraid to boss a girl around a little and doesn’t mind a bit when she gives back as good as she gets.  I like an alpha who isn’t afraid to show his softer side, who is willing to let the world know he loves his woman. He lets her wrap him around her finger but won’t let her—or anyone—walk all over him. My perfect hero will protect those he loves without hesitation, and is a little possessive as well ;)

If you had to pick one, who would be your favourite literary Hero of all time?

Oh my. Would you think me strange if I chose Dracula (the romantic, sexy Dracula) first and Mr. Darcy second? Ah, you said pick one. Aragorn…I love Aragorn. (Nix - agreed...Oh Vigo *swoon*)

Q3)Your hero’s are from all walks of life and genres. How do you come up with them?

A combination of things; I’ve spent a lot of time reading; from the time I could read, I’ve read. My heroes are created from pieces of men I’ve seen in movies, met in real life, read about in those countless books, or just dreamed about.

Q4) Which of your hero’s do you have a particular soft spot for?

Logan. A lot of readers think he’s too unbending, too unforgiving, too harsh, but I don’t see him that way. I see him as an alpha with a lot of responsibility who can’t afford to show a lot of weakness.  Also for Elijah! He’s such a big jerk. I love him. He makes me laugh ;) Those two are from Sanctuary and Asylum.  Now Kai, I have something for him, but it’s more of a weakness than a soft spot ;) (Nix - I love Elijah!!)

Kimberlyn is a were at odds with herself. She longs to express her true nature, but she's not sure what that is. What she knows is that she needs lovers who can satisfy her needs for rough sex and submission. What she doesn't know is that as the only Healer of her kind, she's incredibly valuable to the pack that can claim her.
Pack Alpha Logan and his partner Andrew need a third to solidify their pack and protect it from the Bears who want to take over. They know Kimberlyn's their girl from the moment they lay eyes on her. Now they just need to convince her they can fulfill her darkest desires. And to keep her away from the Bears

Q5) Talk to us about Kai. What’s his story about?

Kai is responsible for a lot of people; an entire settlement of them. He’s learned to be hard and suspicious. He offers himself as protector to any woman who wants to petition him for it. His world is a tough one, especially for those who have no one.

He loves women; not in a romantic way, really, but in a protective way. He wants to save them all. He’s been hurt. His mother died, his sister died, his lady left him. He’s pretty careful about giving his heart away. At least he thinks he is. When he meets the heroine, Sarah, he discovers pretty quickly that you can’t help who you love.

Sarah will do whatever it takes to get her brother out of Kai Trinder’s prison -- even petitioning the commander to take her into his household along with the other women he protects. 
Once he accepts her petition and she belongs to him, he can do whatever he wants with her. And to her. He teaches her to enjoy her body and what he can do to it, and slowly, she begins to fall for him. But she can’t allow her heart to rule her. She must betray him to save her brother. 
But in the muscled arms of her lover, Sarah discovers true love. Now she must make a decision that will shatter her heart, no matter what she decides to do... 
Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: anal play, bondage, exhibitionism.

Q6) the romance genre has been getting a bad press of late (Not by us! We love it :D) Why did you choose to write in your genre?

I like to write about strong men and women who find love, especially if it’s in a dark fantasy or paranormal setting. Romance is something people want to read about no matter what’s going on in the world. Romance books now are not necessarily the same as they were many years ago when the heroine was a young virgin rescued from a dire life by the hero, so on and so forth. Today’s heroines are changed from the heroines of the early romance books, as are the stories and the heroes. Maybe the bad press comes from out-dated ideas and from people who haven’t read a modern romance book. Today’s romance books are about smart, confident, sexy women, sensitive men, and complicated journeys. Today’s heroine won’t wait for a man to come save her, or if he does save her, she’ll be sure to return the favor before the book ends. And she’s not afraid to go after her man. If she wants him, she’s going to let him know. And then she’s going to get him ;)

Thank you so much for stopping by Cassidy!! Remember to leave a comment, with a preference if you have one, to enter to win!