What was
your inspiration to write romance?
A desire for a happy ending coupled that with an
insatiable curiosity! I write contemporary and historical romances and my
inspiration is always a character and then what if….until they find their HEA
Who is
your favorite heroine from one of your books and why?
The heroine of A Winning Streak is probably my favorite –
Atalante. She is so determined, so very sure of herself and the very best at
what she does (she did have a little bit of help from the Gods early on) but
when love comes along her world is turned upside down.
Who is
your favorite fictional couple?
Kate and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. She was one
spirited lady and when ‘ladies’ weren’t supposed to be. That’s probably why
Atalante is my favorite heroine.
Who is
your favorite romance author?
That’s an impossibly difficult question to answer!
Especially as I read just about every genre. It depends on my mood – and with
the advent of ebooks it is so easy to discover new authors. I’m going to pass
on that one!
What
book can you read over and over?
The Lord of the Rings…I know it is not romance but the
characters. I wonder what would happen if….NO! And Shakespeare – romance and
tragedies.
How do
you like your romance novels, sweet or spicy?
Either or both but not too spicy. I like complex
characters and a plot that sustains them and sometimes if it is too spicy I
lose the characters and the plot.
Tell us
about your most recent release.
A Winning Streak is my most recent release with Breathless
Press. It’s my take on the myth of Atalante. I like my heroines to be feisty
and she was certainly that. There are so many different versions of her story
each with a different ending so I decided to jump in and add mine!!
Here’s the blurb.
Will the path of true love incur
the wrath of the virgin Goddess Artemis?
Abandoned at birth, Atalante,
protege of the goddess Artemis, is forced into an untenable position by her
estranged father, the King of Arcadia—renege on her vow of virginity or condemn
her suitors to a sacrificial death. The aristocratic courtier, Melanion, cannot
believe anyone would be foolish enough to put their life on the line for the
dirty little predator whose reputation for speed and cruelty is legendary. That
is until he falls under Atalante's spell.
Consumed by desire and jealousy,
Melanion is determined to win Atalante's hand or die trying. He calls upon
Aphrodite to assist him, little realizing that her noisome brat, Eros, has the
pair of them in his sights and is determined to inject a little spice into
their lives. Spice that will devastate the path of true love and incur the
wrath of the virgin Goddess Artemis.
The
Protea Boys by Téa Cooper
Georgie can run but she
can't hide from the man who stalks her dreams and throws her ordered life into
a tailspin.
Emotional entanglement is
not on George Martin's to do list. She has turned her back on her sophisticated
Sydney lifestyle, determined to renovate her parents old flower farm and her
shattered ego. However the challenges prove more than she bargained for until a
madcap scheme comes to fruition and The Protea Boys are born. The team of
efficient, well-tapered six-packs solve her farming problems, but their leader
presents a different kind of challenge—their first spark of attraction ignites
a passion she cannot ignore.
Tom Morgan likes his women
“pretty and entertaining,” not “efficient and driven," but the threat of
being co-opted as a wine waiter or worse, chef in his brother’s restaurant
encourages him to take up what he sees as the highly amusing challenge of managing
The Protea Boys. It is the perfect distraction while he waits for a new
assignment—or so he thinks until he realizes he has found the one woman he
cannot run away from.
Digital Edition: $4.99 | ISBN: 978-1-77101-991- 0 | Length:
49,000 words
Ebook Page Count: |
Publication Date: May 3, 2013 | PDF – MOBI – EPUB |Heat rating 2
Breathless
Press
Excerpt:
Copyright 2013, Téa Cooper
All rights
reserved, Breathless Press.
A nonchalant silhouette leaning against the side of
the black four-wheel drive came into view. Tall and lean, with an Akubra pulled
down shadowing his eyes and arms folded across his chest. As Georgie slammed to
a halt, he pushed his hat back and winked at her.
"What are you doing
here?" she snapped.
Shit, not a very polite way to greet someone.
It was a trick. Hillary had
played a huge trick on her.
"Good morning,
Georgina." His laconic drawl made the hairs on her arms prickle, and his
gaze ran up and down the length of her body; she stopped herself from rubbing
her arms just in time. At least six
feet four inches of pure muscle and screaming masculinity. The mere sight of
him made her hackles rise. This was not one of her
ridiculous dreams. She groped around, trying to find something to say, but he
offered no help, just kept looking her up and down, waiting patiently.
"I didn't know it was you," she managed to splutter.
"You didn't know what was me?" he said, green eyes
sparkling at her. She wanted to slap the ridiculous, audacious grin off his
face. He was enjoying every moment of her discomfort.
"Hillary didn't say it was you." She ground the words out
between her gritted teeth.
"Hillary didn't exactly say it was you either—but I guessed."
The whole conversation, if
you could call it that, got more idiotic by the moment.
Take control. I have to take control.
Blood pounded somewhere
inside her head. "So you're here to work,
not just making a social call?" She narrowed her eyes, unable to be civil.
"I'm under the impression I'm starting work today. Hillary said you were expecting me, and I should
turn up at seven o'clock this
morning." He stared pointedly at his watch, accentuating his deliciously
muscled forearm. " It's five to, by my
reckoning."
"I didn't know it was you." Georgie's brain had stuck, like an old, scratched CD, the
phrase stuttered in her head, and she couldn't stop it falling out of her mouth. "I didn't know it was you. Hillary said your name was
Morgan."
"It is. Morgan, Tom Morgan." He
enunciated the words as though she had a limited command of English.
In an attempt to restrain the recurring urge to hit
him, Georgie clenched her fists.
"Remember? I introduced myself after our
little adventure with the wombat last week."
Remember.
How could she forget? She involuntarily moved her
finger to her lips, unsure for a moment if her memory of his kiss was real or
not, but the glimmer in his eye assured her it was, and she pulled her hand
from her face and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Then we spoke on the phone."
"Yes. I remember. It's just I didn't know it
was you Hillary had interviewed."
You're
burbling, talking nonsense.
Hillary had said his name was Morgan, and she
hadn't put two and two together. She dreamed—not dreamed, no, he didn't need to
know about her dreams—of him as Tom.
Tom of the predatory green eyes with tawny flecks.
Mr. Leopard Eyes who was
watching her with a deal more than a glint of amusement. She sucked in a deep
breath and exhaled, enjoying the exasperated puffing sound escaping her lips.
Her flesh shivered despite the warmth in her face.
"I can go if you like.
It's not a problem. I was
looking forward to the job. Thought it would be a challenge working for two
lovely ladies."
That's it. That's done it. The patronizing sexist.
She clenched her teeth to
prevent the words escaping. Sometime in the not-too-distant future she would
explain to this man that she was running the business and she employed him—not
the other way around. She'd played this
game before, and she had no intention of falling into the trap again.
A Winning Streak by Téa Cooper
Will the path of true love incur the wrath of the virgin
Goddess Artemis?
Abandoned at birth, Atalante, protege of the goddess
Artemis, is forced into an untenable position by her estranged father, the King
of Arcadia—renege on her vow of virginity or condemn her suitors to a
sacrificial death. The aristocratic courtier, Melanion, cannot believe anyone
would be foolish enough to put their life on the line for the dirty little
predator whose reputation for speed and cruelty is legendary. That is until he
falls under Atalante's spell.
Consumed by desire and jealousy, Melanion is determined
to win Atalante's hand or die trying. He calls upon Aphrodite to assist him,
little realizing that her noisome brat, Eros, has the pair of them in his
sights and is determined to inject a little spice into their lives. Spice that
will devastate the path of true love and incur the wrath of the virgin Goddess
Artemis.
Digital Edition: $2.99 | ISBN: | Length: 20,000 words
Publication Date: June 14th, 2013 | PDF – MOBI – EPUB |Timeless
Excerpt:
The
sixth day of Thargelion
Mount Parthenius, Arcadia
Purple thunderclouds swirled, and lightning slashed
the sky. Artemis the Huntress, goddess of the forests and the hills, stood
astride the mountaintop, staring in fascination at the frail human figure
edging its way to the cave.
The figure gazed around furtively, then placed a
tightly wrapped bundle beneath the shelter of the rocky overhang before
stepping stealthily away through the glade of moon-white cyclamen flowers.
A flash of lightning illuminated the interior of a
cave. Bounding effortlessly down the mountain, Artemis raged at the folly of
mankind.
"Great Zeus above!"
Impossibly huge cerulean eyes stared up at her—the
epitome of perfection. Artemis reached down and picked up the swaddled bundle.
The scent of the fresh, sweet skin and the flawless rosebud mouth tugged at her
heart as she cradled the tiny body close to her breast and raised her fist to
the heavens. "This I vow, my little one, you shall become fleet of foot, a
huntress, second to none and guided by my ever-watchful eye."
Pulling back the tightly wrapped swaddling, she
gazed in awe as the plump, perfectly formed limbs pounded the air. "I name
you Atalantê, my princess, for we are as one. In perfect harmony you will grow
in my image, your maiden divinity never to be conquered by Eros."
Artemis listened as in the valley below, the
Arcadian people held their collective breath. She stilled the lightning and
dismissed the thunderclouds. Finally, when the pale sun rose, the frustrated
cries of Lord Iasius filled the palace. "Gods! Take back your girl. Give
me a boy to inherit my kingdom!"
The acts of men are rarely unheeded by the gods,
and Artemis vowed compassion for her little foundling, seeing to her warmth and
nourishment until the girl grew tall and nimble, slim of hip—a virgin huntress,
in her own image.
Biography:
Téa writes contemporary and historical romantic fiction featuring strong-minded women and sexy Australian men. Love and life Down Under isn't always easy. Her heroes and heroines have to fight long and hard for what they believe in before they reach their happy ever after.
To keep up with all of Téa's news visit her website www.teacooperauthor.com where you will find links to her blog and social media pages.
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