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Monday, September 24, 2012

Blog Tour: "The Russian Seduction" by Nikki Navarre (Interview/Giveaway)

Welcome to our stop on the virtual tour of "The Russian Seduction" by Nikki Navarre brought to you by LIT Connect Events.  


1. Tell us 5 things that readers may not be able to find about you on the web.

·      I lived in Russia for five years and worked at a diplomatic mission—an assignment very similar to that of my heroine, rising-star diplomat Alexis Castle, in The Russian Seduction.
·      While living in Russia, I met the then-President of the United States and was alone in a room with him for exactly one minute.
·      I’m one of very few Americans to have visited North Korea.
·      My luggage was lost during travel in Asia, forcing me to hold official meetings in China wearing the denim overalls and combat boots I’d worn on the plane.  I’ve never traveled since without a blazer in my carry-on.
·      A former senior submarine officer consulted for me on The Russian Seduction.  The details of my suspicious submarine accident are all his doing. J

2. Tell us a little about "The Russian Seduction" and why readers should check it out?

Set in the edgy cosmopolitan world of contemporary Moscow, The Russian Seduction is smart, sexy romantic suspense with lots of glamour and international intrigue.  Think secrets, champagne and seduction, with a James Bond flair.  State secrets have never been this sexy! 
Renegade Russian submarine captain Victor Kostenko was the golden boy of the Russian Navy—until he lost his command for an act of treason he didn’t commit.  Now it’s rumored he’ll do anything to get back in his government’s good graces.  Rising-star American diplomat Alexis Castle always plays by the rules.  She’ll torpedo her career for sure if she falls for a bad-boy Russian who breaks every rule in the book.  When a hardline Russian leader invades a country the U.S. has promised to protect, war can only be averted by one man who has everything to gain…and a woman who has everything to lose. 
I set out to write a fast, fun, escapist read that’s hot and a little exotic, and to offer an insider’s look at the mazy world of diplomacy.  The Russian Seduction is the first book in my Foreign Affairs series.  The sequel is coming in 2013 from River Valley Publishing. 

3. What kind of research did you do for this book?

Most of my research was of the real-life variety.  Like my heroine Alexis, I worked at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, specialize in weapons of mass destruction issues, speak Russian and rub elbows with nuclear submariners on a regular basis. 

4. What's a typical working day like for you?

Right now I’m juggling my fledgling career in romantic suspense with my not-so-secret identity as historical romance author Laura Navarre.  So I’m writing the Foreign Affairs books for River Valley and a Tudor paranormal romance trilogy for Harlequin/Carina simultaneously, and I still consult full-time for government clients.  Basically, I work and I sleep.  I get up at 5 am, write for three hours, work a full day at my office, then write and market until 10 pm or so.  Sleep and repeat.  I’m incredibly fortunate to have an amazing husband, also a writer, who shares my work ethic and has a saint’s patience!  He’s the one who keeps me sane.    

5. What was the hardest part of writing your book?

The Russian Seduction is the first contemporary novel I’ve written, so finding and experimenting with my modern-day voice was fun but challenging.  Also, because I know the world of diplomacy, Russia and national security so well, I have to remind myself continually that most of my readers don’t have that background, and I need to slow down from time to time and explain things! 

6. Do you have any advice for other writers?

My advice mirrors what many other writers have said.  Write every day.  Don’t wait for the muse.  Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft—you can always fix it later.  Choose your critique partners carefully.  Finish the book before you start something new.  And never, ever give up!  I wrote for six years, completed three novels, and garnered 63 rejections before I sold.

7. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

The Foreign Affairs books are a real departure from the dark medieval and Tudor romances I’ve been writing for many years.  These books are hotter, sleeker and quite similar in setting to my unusual “real life.”  I’m really curious to see how readers respond to them!  At the same time, my alter ego Laura Navarre is excited about her first-ever historical paranormal series for Harlequin/Carina.  The series launch Magick by Moonrise (March 2013) is a dark Tudor romance with elements of Arthurian legend and a fallen angel hero, so watch out for that one.

For now, don’t forget to enter my First Reads Giveaway on Goodreads for The Russian Seduction.  Here are your pre-order links for the book.

Fun questions:
8. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

I’ve traveled extensively through Europe, America, and the former Soviet Union.  But I’ve barely done Africa or the Middle East.  In North Africa, I’d love to explore Morocco and Tunisia.  In East Africa, I’m dying to go on safari.
 
9. If you were stranded on an island, what 3 things would you not be able to survive without?

My brilliant, amazing, extraordinary husband Steven, who is the love of my life.  My Siberian cats, Pandora & Delilah (I’m counting them as one!)  And let’s say my Kindle, loaded up with a few hundred books.

10. If you could meet one famous person, who would it be and why?

Art Deco artist and aristocrat Tamara De Lempicka.  Loved her sense of style, her elegant art and her unconventional, carpe diem lifestyle.


The Russian Seduction
by Nikki Navarre
Genre: Romantic Suspense 
Series: Foreign Affairs, #1 

Tone: Dramatic, action

Heat Level: Hot 

Publisher: Affluent Press 
Publishing Date: October 1, 2012 
Word Count: 258 pages 
Format: Digital and Print

Description:

State secrets have never been this sexy.
Victor Kostenko was the golden boy of the Russian Navy, a submarine captain with a maverick image, until he lost his command for an act of treason he didn’t commit. Arrogant, aggressive, and super-smart, the captain pairs his daunting reputation with an appetite for adventure. And he’s never met a rule he won’t break. Now it’s rumored he’ll do any- thing to get back in his government’s good graces.
Political Counselor Alexis Castle is one of the highest-ranked diplomats at the U.S. Embassy, a rising star who yearns to live up to her father’s legacy as a legendary ambassador. Brilliant and driven, she’s always played by the rules. She’ll torpedo her career for sure if she falls for one of the world’s most dangerous men – a bad-boy Russian sub captain who breaks every rule in the book.
When a hard-line Russian leader invades a country the U.S. promised to protect, war can only be avoided by a risky undercover liaison between one man who has everything to gain...and a woman who has every- thing to lose. 



Subject: Nikki Navarre

Assignment: Double Agent
Cover: Diplomat. Playgirl. Author of The Russian Seduction.

Nikki's Coordinates:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

Nikki Navarre is the sinister twin of unsuspecting historical romance author Laura Navarre. In her other life, Nikki is a diplomat who’s lived in Russia and works on weapons of mass destruction issues. In the line of duty, she’s been trapped in an elevator in a nuclear power plant and has stalked the corridors of facilities churning out nerve agent and other apoca- lyptic weapons. In this capacity, she meets many of the world’s most dangerous men.
Inspired by the perilous realities of her real life, Nikki writes romantic suspense set in glamorous international locales and laced with political intrigue. Her literary credentials are suspiciously similar to those of her innocent twin. A member of Romance Writers of America’s Published Author Network (PAN), winner of the 2012 Pacific Northwest Writers Associa- tion award for romance and a 2009 Golden Heart finalist, she has won the Emily Award for Excellence, the First Coast Romance Writers Beacon Award, the Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award, the Golden Pen, Hearts through History’s Romance through the Ages, and other awards.
Nikki holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from the University of Southern Maine, an M.A. in National Security Policy from The George Washington University, and other alarming credentials. Based in Seattle with her screenwriter ac- complice and two Siberian cats, she divides her time between her writing career and other adventures for U.S. government clients. Her notorious adventures in the world of diplomacy will get her in trouble one of these days.
The Russian Seduction (October 2012) may be the last mistake she ever makes.

Now here's your chance to win a ebook copy of The Russian Seduction by Nikki Navarre.
Just fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win.  
Giveaway is International.
(The winner must have an ARe account to accept the 'gift').

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Stops:
The more stops readers comment on, the greater their chance of winning. 

2 comments:

Thanks for hosting Nikki today! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much to the Book Lovin Mamas for hosting the launch of my Russian Seduction blog tour! It's fabulous to be here!

Nikki Navarre

www.LauraNavarre.com/book/Nikki-Navarre-Books

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