Good morning, everyone! It's Thursday's New Voices time again!
Today I'm very excited to bring to you Wendi Zwaduk, a fellow author of sinfully sexy romance. She's currently on tour with two books, Over My Head, and When You're With Me, and today we're going to take a peek at them.
What happens when two opposites realise they have more in common than expected? |
A topless dancer and a cynical cop doesn’t equal a lifetime love...or does it? |
YUM, yum, yum!
I'm going to turn the blog over to Wendi now, who's going to share some thoughts on strip clubs, cops, and why the combination works so well. Be sure not to skim -- Wendi has a giveaway today!
“Wendi, you and I both have books about stripping and strip club life combined with hot cops. We’re certainly not the only authors that have sexy steamy stories with these professions, and the combination does really well with readers. What do you think is the draw? What makes it hot and alluring, and why does the pairing work so darned well?”
Talk about a rescue. You all might be wondering the same things. So I’ll break it down and try to the best of my ability to answer.
I’m sure we’re not the only authors to tackle the idea of a cop and a strip club. But my brain has just sprinted with the idea of a stripping cop... the muse is intrigued. Filing that thought away for later.
So why does the pairing work so well? The draw has to do with the idea that they are on either side of the law. How many times have you seen a story on the news or in the papers that has to do with something bad going down at a strip club? It happens. I think part of the draw also has to do with the idea that cops are the closest thing to bad boys who are still good boys. Does that make sense? They can wield a gun, use handcuffs and take down the bad guys and yet, they can easily go rogue. That’s alluring. A man with muscles and a badge. And there I’ve stumbled across another reason the cop is hot—he’s a man in uniform with a badge. Women like men in uniform.
So what exactly makes a stripper alluring? That’s a toughy. Really. When I think of a stripper, I think of a woman with great looks, great assets (her body) and few inhibitions. Do I know my interpretation leaves a little to be desired? Sure. Now I’ve talked to strippers—I wouldn’t have written a book with a stripper character without it—and I know they enjoy being naked. They enjoy the attention. There’s another thing that can be a hook up about strippers. The ones I talked to are very nice people, but they don’t always have that heart of gold like the Julia Roberts idea. They have to feed the family and like the money. Again, that’s not bad, just more honest than a woman who strips but is completely Pollyanna about things.
All that said, it does make it hard to understand the draw of a stripper heroine. Sort of. I look at the stripper heroine this way—they may not have hearts of gold, but they aren’t all bad people. They are people trying to live their lives. And they do things that most people couldn’t do. Most people wouldn’t get up in front of a crowd, without liquid courage, much less lose their clothing while dancing.
So back to the original question. What makes the pairing of a cop and a stripper so hot? For me it boils down to this: strippers are in command of what it looks like to be sexy. They are confident and have moves to draw in onlookers. Cops have the muscles, the badge, the uniform and they ride the line between control and danger. Sex is really a tight rope between control and tipping into ecstasy. I like to read about two people (or more sometimes) being confident in who they are and confident in their sexual attraction to each other. It’s hot. And if you throw in some kinkiness... you need fireproof paper or a fireproof reader.
What about you? What do you think is the draw and the allure to a cop and a stripper in a story? I’d love to know!
Me too! Me too, says Claire!
So post your thoughts in the comments section below. In return, your name will be entered for Wendi's contest. She will be giving away a $10 GC to Total-e-Bound to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow the tour -- the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! Tour dates can be found here.
Meanwhile, more about Wendi!
| Wendi Zwaduk |
 I always dreamed of writing the stories in my head. Tall, dark, and handsome heroes are my favorites, as long as he has an independent woman keeping him in line. I tend to write books with titles taken from songs because music is one of my many muses.I earned a BA in education at Kent State university and as well as a Masters in Education from Nova Southeastern University. I've tried my hand at teaching, waitressing, and retail sales, but writing holds my heart. I love NASCAR, romance, books in general, Ohio farmland, dirt racing, and my menagerie of animals. I have more stories than my brain can handle percolating. I can't wait to share them with you! Stay Tuned in with Wendi via her website blog facebook Twitter Manic Readers |
Thanks so much, Wendi, for stopping by the blog today! Best of luck with the new releases!
~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com
Posts
Thank you for hosting Wendi today.
Good Morning! I should know better than to read these excerpts before going into work :)
I think the Cop/Stripper combo is hot. The Cop has that dominant male attitude. The uniform is awesome too! The Stripper has that amazing sex appeal. Put them together and it is like throwing a match on gasoline!
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
Both are hot. It's like it's a forbidden romance. I agree with Mel- it's the alpha attitude and the uniform.
Joanne B
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
I agree with the both of you. :-) Alpha, strong, uniform... attitude... is it getting hot in here? Thanks to the both of you for stopping by. Grin. I'm always glad to hang out with friends. And thanks to Claire for having me. I'm having a blast.
A little late to the tour but i love heroes in uniform. Fitted to a sexy body... yum!
OceanAkers(at)aol(dot)com
Really? I do not know what the allure is. I guess there's something to a cop for falling for any prisoner/offender. The fact that she does something so overtly sexual for her job adds that tittilating factor.
catherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Juliana, yes, a uniform, fitted properly or slopping off because he's shrugging out is YUMMY! And you're never late. Just fashionable.
Catherine - what you say makes sense, that idea she's overtly sexual and doing something that could be offensive. It's a living.