Who is Ava Gray, give us the low down
I’m married with children. I have a degree in English literature. I’m crazy-driven and obsessive about my writing. Apart from reading, video games are my second favorite hobby. I think I have a good sense of humor and I try to be a supportive friend.
Skin Game is written under the pen name, Ava Gray. Does that name have any special significance to you? What goes into picking a pen name?
Primarily it’s for branding purposes. That way, if you find a book with my real name, Ann Aguirre, on it, you know it’s sci-fi or fantasy. If you pick up an Ava Gray book, you can be sure it’s romance.
Yes, it has significance. I’m a big fan of old movies. Growing up, Ava Gardner was one of my favorite actresses. If you read about her life, you’ll see she lived one amazing adventure: from marrying Frank Sinatra to leaving him heartbroken to befriending Ernest Hemingway to taking a Spanish bullfighter as her lover. I mean, wow. Hollywood legend says that years after their divorce, when Frank heard Ava had died, he broke down and sobbed. She was the love of his life, and that’s the kind of glamour I wanted for these books. That’s where Ava comes from.
Gray comes from Jean Grey of X-Men fame, because I’m a geek, and I love superheroes. But I spelled it Gray because that’s more common in the US.
So Ava (Gardner) + (Jean) Gray = Ava Gray.
The author of these novels is therefore a powerful, superheroic bombshell who leaves men devastated in her wake. Who wouldn’t want that for an alter ego?
Skin Game has some smokin’ love scenes. While there is some romance in your Jax series, this is much more. Why the switch to paranormal romance? Not that I’m complaining ;)
I always wanted to write romance. I just happened to sell SF&F first.
Beside the intense romance, there is a high level of violence – although I think they balanced each other out. Which is harder to write – an intense violent or romantic scene?
For me, fight scenes are harder than sex. See, I’ve never actually been in a fight. (If I ever meet you, we will have to have a throw down)
You now write three such strong heroines – Jax, Corine, and Kyra. Is it hard to switch gears between them? Do you ever find yourself working on two or more of their books at the same time? How do you keep each one so different and fresh?
Not really. I build downtime into my schedule, at least a few days, so I can get out one heroine’s head and clear the way for the next. The only thing I can say about different and fresh is that they’re different women.
Kyra (and all your heroines) have such a great sense of humor. Do you have to work at making them funny and sarcastic or is that just your voice?
I guess that’s just my voice.
I am always curious about authors writing processes. Although Skin Game is labeled a paranormal romance, the paranormal part is quite contained to just Kyra, at least in this point in the series. How far in advance do you outline books? On your site you have three more books listed in the series – do you already know the basic plot for each one?
I know the characters, and I have some idea what happens in each book, but not to a very precise and specific level. No, I don’t outline.
While Reyes is hot, I am completely intrigued by Addison Foster. If I had only read the beginning of the book I would have never guessed where he was headed. While Reyes can’t keep his hands off Kyra, Foster doesn’t like to be touched…anywhere. Can you give us any insights into writing this character. Any hints about Skin Tight?
No. I refuse. If you’re lucky, you might win an arc, if I get any, of Skin Tight. And then you, too, will know the magic of BatPunisherMan as a hero. I do have cover art, a blurb, and a short teaser up on the Skin Tight page, though. (Ha! Love BatPunisherMan!!)
How important is Twitter and Facebook to you as an author? Do you see it solely as a networking tool or more for just fun?
I don’t use Twitter as an author. I use it as a person, who is an author. It’s a fine distinction but for me it’s not about networking at all. It’s a virtual watercooler where I can take a chat break during my workday and I really enjoy that.
Since you are in Smexyville, I must ask:
Which fictitious character do you lust after the most?
I’d have to say Terrible, from Stacia Kane’s Downside books. I love an ugly brute with a tender side.
If you could trade places with any heroine, who would it be?
I’d rather not. I prefer to write harrowing adventures, not live them.
Who would win in battle, Harry Potter or Edward Cullen?
I’m going to say Harry, just because I’ve read those books, and I’ve no notion if Edward is tough. (psst – he really isn’t)
Hairy chests – Smexy? yay or nay?
A little is fine. (good answer ;)
Ann – thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! I appreciate it :)
Thanks for having me!
Ann Aguirre has offered a copy of Skin Game to one lucky person. To enter just leave a comment and tell me – what is the sexiest book you have read this year?
Make sure I have a way of contacting you if your email is not in your profile. The contest will run through Saturday, October 24th and I will announce the winner on Sunday.
Edited to add: Contest open to all
Ooooohhhh, I am so wanting this book! I've read so many great reviews and I'm just chewing at the bit to read this book.
As for sexiest book….that's a tough one. I read alot of erotica where sex is a major part of the story so it's hard to pick just one. I guess I'll go to my paranormal pile and say Larissa Ione's Desire Unchained. Those two were on fire when they got together.
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
I'd love to win this book.
Sexiest book?That's a tough question..I guess I'll pick Maya Banks Sweet Surrender.
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
Well…I happen to get a peek at Skin Game and I have to say it was by far the sexiest read of 2009! I'd love to have my very own copy. :) I might just sleep with it under my pillow. *waggles eyebrows* Srsly, pick me.
Whoops! I got carried away and forgot to say, great interview Mandi & Ann. I'm so intrigued by the sci fi series. I can't wait to read it. Great questions Mandi. :)
Hello! Thanks for this great giveaway! I am going to pick a book which at first glance to some would not seem super-sexy. MARIANA by Susanna Kearsley is a superbly written time-travel reincarnation romance. It is a love story which transcended centuries. Not only sexually intense, but also a deeply moving mating of two souls. The power of the love intensifies the sexuality, especially after you read (and then reread) the suprise ending.
gcwhiskas at aol dot com
Hey ladies, thanks for the interview. Ann, I am just dyin' to read this one! Great review Mandi!
Sexiest book I read this year? Well, you have to know, I really only dound erotic romance this year, so I may be behind the times a bit, but I think I am going to have to say Laid Bare by Lauren Dane (print) or the Cattleman's Club (ebook) by Jenny Penn or Sacrifice (also e) by Lora Leigh.
Thanks for the giveaway!
b42bella AT gmail.com
Hi! Great inteview! Love the explanation for the alter ego :)
The sexiest book I read this year is Broken by M. Hart.
Skin Game looks like a great read! That was a wonderful interview! As for sexiest book I'm going to have to say The Naughty Secretary by Ashley Ladd. (It's an ebook)
I'll never look at the name Ava Grey the same way again, lol now i have the mental image of a mix between Ava Gardner and Jean Gray coming up everytime i look at it. ;)
Great interview =)
The sexiest book i've read this year is easily Laid Bare by Lauren Dane. i love it.
I'm dying waiting to get my hands on Skin Game! Loved the interview.
Sexy books this year – Start Me Up from Victoria Dahl and the ARC of Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks I stayed up until 12am reading last night!
Oh, I'd like to read your book!
I've read many erotic books this year, but… I think in a certain way Dreamfever by KMM is the sexiest book I've read this year.
i loved Blue Diablo but wished for more romance and smexiness, so Skin Game sounds great to me! And I had no idea Ann wrote under any other names, so im super glad you did the review and interview!
lustyreader at gmail.com
Hi Mandi, and Ann
Great interview.
As for the most smexy book, well hands down to Relentless by Lauren Dane. That one burned down to my toes.
The smexiest book I have read all year… thats hard to choose, I will go with Lover Unbound by JR Ward. Maija P. I agree that Dreamfever was pretty darn smexy!!
aliciahall0605(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Great interview. Skin Game sounds wonderful. The sexiest book I have read this year has been Maya Banks' The Tycoon's Rebel Bride.
Crystal816{at}hotmail{dot}com
The smexiest book I have read this year is Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'hara.
amyturci(AT) yahoo (DOT) com
Laid Bare by Lauren Dane
Fabulous interview :) The more books I read by Ann or Ava (or whatever pen name she uses) the more I am infatuated with the writing. Amazing stuff. Who knew she could make me read a book with zombies and make me like it? Pretty impressive feat.
Thanx ladies for the interview :)
Like Lustyreader, I loved Blue Diablo but wished for more sexytime. Your review was great and I want to read it!!! I think the sexiest book I've read this year is Laid Bare by Lauren Dane – maybe because it was the last book I read but I really do think it's at the top of my sexy reads list. And Pattepoilue said the next book's about her brother – rawr!
Thanks for stopping by Ann. And thanks for the giveaway Mandi.
Does a short story count? If it does then it would go to Eternity Embraced by Larissa Ione in the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2. I've made it a point to pick up the rest of her books because of that story. Just thinking about it makes me want to fan myself.
Count me in!
*Jen*
iiiioneloveiiii(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Great Interview! I've recently become obessesed with Ann Aguirre's Sci-fi series (I love you March shout out) thanks to Mandi's book pimpin – very excited to read Skin Game like can't sit still kinda of excited.
Sweet Interview! I must say that the sexiest book I have read this year was actually a series. Desire, Oklahoma Series.
I did a shorty review here: http://sweetvernalzephyr.blogspot.com/2009/09/review-desire-oklahoma-series.html
Please enter me in the contest and Happy Thursday! Miranda
mdwartistry at yahoo dot com
Great interview. The sexiest book I've read this year was Sweet Surrender by Maya Banks.
That would be A Hunger Like No Other by: Kresley Cole. That one was steamy.
Monica
http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com
Lovely to meet an author who had taken on a few different genre and actually carved a place for herself in them as well…
Thanks for the interview Mandi…
E.H>
The sexiest book I've read this year is Maya Bank's Sweet Seduction!
Hi :)
Thank you for the great interview.
I loved learning more about Ava Gray.
She seems like a sister to Ann Aguire.
:)
All the best,
RKCharron
xoxo
PS – Sexiest book so far? DARK IMMORTAL by J.K. Coi
:)
The sexiest book I have read this year would have to be Lora Leigh's Coyote's Mate. It was a scorcher!
Anna ♥
goodgonegirl@gmail.com
I think that the sexiest book I've read so far this year was WITCH FIRE by Anya Bast.
Great Interview :)
wyrdkatt(at)gmail(dot)com
Sexiest book i read this year, so far, is….White Cougar Christmas
OH the sexiest book I have read this year… let's see.. OH wow… Blood Magic by Jennifer Lyon would have to be one… and that is just one…
thanks for the awesome giveaway Mandi! And thank you for having Ms. Gray here with us! I absolutely love how she came up with her name!
Hope everyone has s great night!
Enjoyed this interview. Since I found out Ava Gray was really Ann Aguirre, I had wondered why Ann was using a pen name. Love the reasoning behind the name. )
Smexiest book, um, can't decide between Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione or Seduce the Darkness by Gena Showalter.
Don't enter me in the giveaway. I was lucky enough to win a copy of Skin Game at Dear Author.
Definitely 'Lucinda Dangerously', the 2nd book in Sunny's 'Demon Princess Chronicles'. Much smexiness.
Wonderful interview! Very entertaining! :D
Excellent interview – it's always a pleasure to read a conversation with Ann.
As for the best smexy this year…so far it's been Ghostlands, by Jory Strong. I recommend her wholeheartedly.
used2bgood @ gmail.com
Great interview! Adds to my waiting suspense. As far as the smexy's book I have read this year. I think I am going to say Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh. It starts with an explosive encounter and the tension just keeps rising. :D
The sexiest book I've read this year would have to be Dark Hunger by Rita Herron. Thanks for the great interview!
gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com
The sexiest book I've read this year is Dark Lover by J.R. Ward. It was my first look at the Black Dagger Brotherhood and it was hot! I couldn't get enough of Wrath.
Great interview! Ava Gray's book, Skin Game, came highly recommended by Fiction Vixen so I have added it my TBR list.
thebookvixen[at]gmail[dot]com
that's it, I need to read this!
I'm hoping Skin Game will pop my Smexy cherry :)
hefollowedme AT gmail DOT com
Thanks!
Mel
Loved the interview. I'm reading Wanderlust at the moment I so love this series. Already got Doubleblind so I don't have to take a break.LOL
The sexiest book I read this year was Laid Bare by Lauren Dane. This book is just WOW in so many ways. It's one of my all time favorites already and possible the best I read this year.
This book sounds wonderful! Let's see so far I have to say the sexy book is "Sweet Persuasion" by Maya Banks.
I can't wait to read this book!!
But as for the sexiest book I've read this year? Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning. Hands down.
I <3 Jerricho Barrons.
This was a good year for sexy books so it is so hard to choose one! I am going to say Please Unbound by Larissa Ione. I know it came out a while ago but I just read it and love the series! I would like to give a special mention to Seduce The Darkness by Gena Showalter. Devyn is so sexy!
Please enter me in the contest. I am very excited to read this book.
Sexiest book … hmmm. That's a tough one. Most of the books I've read this year have more dark Urban Fantasy elements than romantic elements. I guess Prey by Rachel Vincent wins my sexy award, but it wasn't what I would call a romance really.
driftsmokehtts AT gmail DOT com
Ava- I'm following you on twitter and I like your description of it as the 'watercooler'. Although I think the discussions between you and Bree and Donna are a little wild for the office at times!
The hottest book I've read would be one of Maya Banks Sweet series. Lovely stories. Lovely heat…
Thanks! Viv Arend
Hmmm…let's see. I'm going with Sins of the Flesh by Devyn Quinn.
Deidre
deidre_durance at hotmail dot com
The sexiest book I have read this year was If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl.
lizzi0915 at aol dot com
Let's see — I would say Body Check by D. Martin.
rsgrandinetti(at)yahoo.com
I read so many books its hard to chose just one all of Lora Leigh's books are hot. I love Shelly Laurenston books I think all of them are great but Pack Challenge is the best.
Hi Ann/Ava :D Great interview! Congratulations on the new release!
As for the sexiest book I've read this year… it'd have to be Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks. Whew! That was a hot book.
cool
what hot books
loved sweet perusation and laid bare by laurane dane
so hot
please enter me
thanks
kh
kimehak@yahoo.com
I mostly read urban fantasy / paranormal books these days, so I guess the sexiest book I've read lately would have to be Seduce the Darkness by Gena Showalter.
Count me in!
Smexiest book? No question, something by Gena Showalter… maybe Seduce The Darkness? (I see a few people agree with me…)
Robyn :)
robolobolyn03@gmail.com
I guess the sexiest one I read was Dead Until Dark. I am hoping to read more romance books.
c.brett (at) live.com
If I'd been asked this question a month ago, I might have had a hard choice to make…but then I read a book that takes the cake, hands down; Sweet Surrender by Maya Banks! HOT!
I've read so many great books this year that it's hard to pick one, but I think I will have to go with Lora Leigh's Maverick. It was her usual smokin' hot love scenes & even though parts of the story line were disturbing, I felt that the relationship that developed between the main characters, Micah and Risa was on an amazingly soul-deep, sensual level, if that makes sense.
Now, thanks to this interview & website, I've found another author to look forward to reading, Ava Gray/Ann Aguirre.
Very nice interview!!
Sexiest book I've read this year……oh that is a toughie….Unleashed by Jami Alden! (but honestly I've read a ton of sexy books this year!):)
Great interview. Tempted by Megan Hart is the sexiest book I have read this year.
I don't read a lot of erotica but the last I can remember was Laid Bare by Lauren Dane.
I enjoyed the interview.
Carol
buddytho {at} gmail DOT com
What an interesting interview and loved how you came up with your name Ava Gray. I think the sexiest book I read this year so far was Pleasuring The Pirate by Emily Bryan. I was so happy to hear about you and have added you to my list of authors to check out. I am fairly new and love to read..retirment is allowing me to do more of this now. susan L.