• Character Interviews,  Contemporary

    Character Interview: Alice Colvin from Crossing the Lines @mqbarber #RLFblog #contemporary

    Crossing the Lines 
    Title Crossing the Lines (Neighborly Affection #2)
    Genre Contemporary erotic romance
    Author M.Q. Barber
    Book heat level (based on movie ratings): R
    A safeword
    won’t save her from love.
    After six
    months of cavorting in her neighbors’ bed, Alice admits signing the contract to be Henry’s
    sexual submissive is the best decision she’s ever made. He delivers on his promise
    to give her sexual satisfaction. But submitting to his dominance alongside his long-term
    lover shows her the sharp line between sex and love. Henry loves goofy, eager-to-please
    Jay. Neither man has promised to love her.
    Hiding her feelings
    grows harder every night she spends with them. As they struggle with wounds old
    and new, her emotional turmoil threatens to shred their arrangement. Is it time
    to bow out before they show her the door? Or can a triangle be the shape of true
    love?

    Buy This Book

    Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Line-Neighborly-Affection-Barber-ebook/dp/B00IGFX5IA
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    Author Social Media

    Interview with Alice Colvin

    What is it that you want,
    but cannot have? Authors call this the conflict of the story.
    I want to stop wanting Henry and Jay so much. Not the sex – the
    sex is great. But it’s all arranged, and I’m supposed to follow the rules Henry
    and I agreed to in our D/s contract. Lately, it just hasn’t been enough for me.
    I see the way Henry treats Jay and I know it’s something more for them. I’m just
    not sure – I mean, maybe I’m ready for that too. But I can’t have it, not if it
    means taking something away from Jay.
    What’s your internal limitation?
    Meaning, what is it about you that makes it so you cannot do what it is you need
    to do during this story?
    I need to break things off with Henry and Jay. Or I need to submit
    more fully to Henry’s dominance and trust he knows what’s best. It’s hard to know
    which is the right choice. If I just had more data sets to work with, or if I knew
    the materials – see, metals and plastics are easy. They work in predictable ways.
    When I design something at work, I have all of the early tests in front of me, I
    know the tolerances, I understand the shapes and how they function. But people?
    People are tough. They don’t make sense. Henry and Jay are a happy couple. I don’t
    know what I’m doing with them. I don’t know where I fit or what my function is –
    or when it’ll come to an end.
    What inner doubt causes
    you the most difficulty?
    That I’m stealing something that isn’t mine. Our arrangement
    is set up so I submit to whatever Henry wants from me every other Friday. It’s just
    sex, right? Super-satisfying, okay, and I’m learning things about myself and what
    I like that I never would’ve known if I’d turned Henry down, but it’s strictly a
    sex thing. Henry tells me I need to be honest with him, that a D/s agreement can’t
    function without honesty, but how do I tell him that I have all this emotional junk
    in my head when I agreed to the sex-only thing in the first place? Henry and Jay
    are my best friends. I won’t ruin their relationship.
    Tell us about your significant
    other, that person who makes living worthwhile.
    What, you mean Henry and Jay? They’re the significant people
    in my life, and they’re fantastic. Henry makes me forget fears and doubts. When
    I hand control over to him, I’m free. And Jay is such a sweetheart. He makes me
    laugh when I need it. But you shouldn’t depend on other people to make living worthwhile.
    You have to make that happen yourself. People change. They leave. Life is what it
    is. You have to be able to go it alone.
    Are you happy with the
    way your story ended? Why or why not?
    Yes and no. I learned a hard lesson that I’m still struggling
    with. But I’m happy where I am now. I wouldn’t trade what I have for anything. I
    just wish I hadn’t gotten what I wanted quite the way I did.

    About You: Questions for the writer.

    Playing the Game 

    Why do you write?
    Characters talk to me. Wherever I am, there’s a story going on
    in my head. If I don’t write it down, it just goes ’round and ’round like a song
    on repeat. Writing is how I keep insanity at bay.
    What other character from
    this book do you want to write about? Care to tell us why?
    Two characters who show up briefly in Crossing the Lines have
    been nagging me to tell their stories. They’re each struggling with painful emotions
    that weigh them down. Both would like me to write about the happiest times in their
    lives. The woman thinks hers are behind her. The man hopes his are ahead of him.
    Are any sequels planned
    for this book?
    Yes. Henry, Jay, and Alice weren’t quite done with me yet. Their
    story will continue in June with the third book in the Neighborly Affection series,
    Healing the Wounds.
    Is there anything you’d
    like to say to your readers?
    Thanks so much for inviting Henry, Jay, and Alice into your life!
    I love being able to share their stories with you. If you want to tell me how I
    did – good or bad – please email me or come visit me on social media. I’m always
    thrilled to chat with readers.