This week, I’m helping Entangled Publishing celebrate the heroes
of Embrace & New Adult Romance!
Today we’re celebrating athletes! Here’s what Embrace authors
have to say about their athletic heroes.
Are any of your athlete characters inspired by real life people?
If so, who?
Tessa Bailey (author of Unfixable): Shane from Unfixable is a
bartender from Dublin (in addition to being a Formula One driver). In real
life, I married a bartender from Dublin. He doesn't race cars, but there is
some definite similarities.
Cindi Madsen (author of the Taking Shots series): Beck Davenport
was modeled after Gabe Landeskog, Hudson Decker came about after staring at a
lot of pictures of Tyler Seguin, & my inspiration for Dane was Chris
Letang. Ryder "Ox" Maddox was tricky, & he's actually more
modeled off actor Robbie Amell.
Jennifer Blackwood (author of Foolproof & The Rule Maker):
Gus Kenworthy totally helped inspire me to write Ryder Covington :-) and
Claudio Marchisio was hero inspiration for Ryan from Foolproof.
Shae Ross (author of the Pretty Smart Girls series): The heroine
athletes in RUSH were partially inspired by my nieces, Samantha and Sydney. Sam
played soccer for Florida Gulf Coast and Syd plays for the University of
Toledo, Rockets. Some of the scenes in RUSH parallel their experiences as
female athletes on and off the soccer field.
Megan Westfield (author of Lessons in Gravity): I was watching a
short rock climbing film when I initially had the idea for Lessons in Gravity. The climber in that film was Dean Potter who was one of the greatest rock
climbers of this generation. Like Dean Potter, the pro rock climber in Lessons in
Gravity, sometimes climbs without a rope—also called free soloing. (Sadly, Dean
Potter died two years ago B.A.S.E. jumping in Yosemite National Park.) The most
well-known free-solo rock climber is Alex Honnold who is practically a
household name after appearing on 60 Minutes, in nationwide TV commercials, and
on the cover of National Geographic, to name a few.
Jessica Lee (author of Falling for the Player): No!
Besides athletes, about what kind of heroes do you like to read?
Tessa: Blue collar men have always been my favorite. I love men
who get dirty and work with their hands. Mechanics, law enforcement,
construction workers. They can't solve problems with money, so they have to be
more creative and that's what I love most.
Cindi: Really I'm a fan of all heroes. I just want to see a guy
fall head over heels over the heroine. If they're funny, bonus points.
Jennifer: Men who like to work with their hands, who don't mind
getting dirty. Maybe a mechanic? Or a cowboy?
Shae: I like to read about heroes in the working world. There's
something oh so appealing about a successful man in a business suit. Don't you
think?
Megan: Aside from heroes that are athletes, I’m currently
smitten with rock star heroes like Berkeley from In Bloom by Katie Delahanty and
Jack from Mean Girl Apologizes by Stephanie Monahan.
Jessica: I also adore a hero with a tortured soul. A man whose
been to hell and back. And the heroine is the only person who can see who he
really is behind the pain. She's the person who can finally help him heal.
What sport do you think has the hottest athletes? Why?
Tessa: I have to go with hockey players. It's not just the fact
that they're massive, muscular, sweaty gods—they fist fight. Normally, I would
eye roll two men in a physical fight, but I'll allow it in the name of sports
glory.
Cindi: Well, I have to go with hockey, because I don't want my
hockey players mad at me. LOL. But football would be a close second.
Jennifer: Soccer. The abs. Need I explain more?
Shae: MMA--Mixed Martial Arts.
Megan: Outdoor adventure athletes are the very hottest! I define
adventure sports as non-motorized sports out in the wild somewhere. Backcountry
skiing, rock climbing, surfing, mountaineering, rafting, mountain biking, etc.
These sports are the sexiest because they take athletic ability far beyond what
you see in a city-sport, plus the stakes are way higher because chances of
rescue are very slim if the athlete gets hurt.
Jessica: Soccer or football. Why? Have you seen those shorts and
those tight pants? lol
Foolproof by Jennifer Blackwood
Drexler University
t's been a rough semester and Jules Carmichael needs to get her
life together. Pronto. Unfortunately, the only available work is at Office Jax,
home of horrid 90s music and the biggest jerk on this side of the galaxy. Then
Ryan DeShane discovers the “6 Ultimate Steps to the Perfect Summer Fling”—and
Jules is his target. But the “steps” work a little too well, because he and
Jules are definitely, uh, flinging. And it's only a matter of time before
Ryan's foolproof plan starts to seriously unravel…
The Rule Maker by Jennifer Blackwood
Rule Breakers #2
Ten Steps to Surviving a New Job: 1. Don’t sleep with the
client. It’ll get you fired. (Sounds easy enough.) 2. Don’t blink when new
client turns out to be former one-night stand. 3. Don’t call same client a jerk
for never texting you back. 6. Ignore accelerated heartbeat every time sexy
client walks into room. 8. Don’t let client’s charm wear you down. Be strong.
9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the client. You’ll lose more than your
job—maybe even your heart.
Wilder by Rebecca Yarros
The Renegades #1
He’s Paxton Wilder, five-time X Games medalist and smoking-hot
leader of the Renegades. The world is his playground, and for the next nine
months Leah Baxter is stuck as his tutor on the Study at Sea program. If she
can’t get him to take his academics seriously, she’ll lose her scholarship...if
she doesn’t lose her heart first.
Nova by Rebecca Yarros
The Renegades #2
He’s Landon Rhodes, four-time X Games medalist and full-time
heartbreaker. This tatted-up adrenaline junkie has earned his nickname
Casanova, going through girls in an attempt to forget the one who got away. But
now she’s back and determined not to let him destroy her again. The problem is,
he will stop at nothing to prove to her that they are meant to be together.
Fearless by Shae Ross
Pretty Smart Girls #2
Devi Dalton won't let anyone hold her back. With a shiny new job
in Manhattan, she’s finally taking control of her life. Her only obstacle? Ben
Winslow, the sexy cage fighter she’s desperately trying to resist, who isn’t
about to let her push him away again. They're more than friends—always have
been. But every fighter has a weakness. Ben’s is Devi. And this time, not even
Devi’s favorite “ Fearless Red” lipstick
will be able to protect her heart..
Rush by Shae Ross
Pretty Smart Girls #3
Priscilla Winslow has a mouth that spits fiery sarcasm faster
than I can throw a touchdown. But I’ve wanted her ever since I saw her in that
Bo Peep outfit on Halloween. Yep, I’m a sheep who will follow that little
hottie anywhere. There’s one problem...she hates me. Just because we ended up
in jail and quite possibly ruined both our futures...
Getting Lucky Number Seven by Cindi Madsen
Taking Shots #1
Lyla Wilder is done being the shy, chemistry nerd
extraordinaire. So she creates a "College Bucket List"―with item #7
being a night of uninhibited, mind-blowing sex...But she needs some help from
her man-whore best friend. With every item she ticks off, Hockey player Beck
Davenport finds himself growing seriously hot for his sweet, brainiac best
friend. And if he's not careful, he'll end up risking their friendship in order
to convince Lyla that he might just be her lucky #7…
Anatomy of a Player by Cindi Madsen
Taking Shots #2
Whitney Porter is done with men. She's focusing on her first
assignment at the college newspaper: Posing as a sports writer for an exposé on
the extra perks jocks receive. But Hudson Decker, the bad boy of the hockey
team, is about to test her no-sex rule. With his life spiraling out of control,
Hudson is looking for a distraction. When his teammates bet him that he can't
land the gorgeous but prickly new reporter, he accepts, boasting he'll have her
in bed by the end of the semester. But Whitney is so much more than Hudson
expected, and soon enough, he's in too deep.
Crazy Pucking Love by Cindi Madsen
Taking Shots #3
I just met the girl of my dreams. Megan Davenport is funny and
smart, and she’s as much of an insomniac as I am. She’s also my team captain’s
little sister, which I only found out after our passionate kiss. Megan is
completely off-limits—her brother makes that very clear—and I know better than
to think I can keep a relationship going during hockey season anyway. But that
doesn’t mean we can’t be late-night friends, right?
Lessons in Gravity by Megan Westfield
Falling for the star of a rock climbing documentary is not a
good idea, especially if you’re the filmmaking intern who will be dangling from
the side of a three thousand foot cliff with a camera while he climbs
Yosemite’s most treacherous spire without a rope.
Falling for the Player by Jessica Lee
Bad boy and former NFL running back Patrick Guinness is tired of
meaningless sex. Ever since his scorching hot one-night stand three years ago,
no one has interested him. So when Max Segreti wanders into his mechanic
shop—and his life again—Patrick can't stop thinking about the
totally-out-of-his-league law grad and the possibility of getting him out of
his system once and for all…
Unfixable by Tessa Bailey
Willa
Peet isn’t interested in love. She’s been there, done that, and has the
shattered heart to prove it. Ready to shake the breakup, she heads to Dublin,
Ireland. But there’s a problem. A dark-haired, blue-eyed problem with a bad
attitude that rivals her own. And he’s not doling out friendly Irish welcomes.
Shane Claymore is only in Dublin long enough to sell the Claymore Inn and get
things in order for his mother and younger sister. Meeting a sarcastic American
girl makes him question everything, but will their pasts destroy any hope of a
future together?
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