Today we have Holley Trent with us and she’s talking about how she started reading romance, her newest release Writing Her In, prickly heroines, and more. Thanks for joining us Holley!

Writing Her In releases on March 11, 2019

What is the first romance you ever read/how’d you start reading romance?

I honestly don’t know the title but it was definitely a category romance of some stripe! I found it in a dollar store bin when I was a teen. I think the story was set in Hawaii. The heroine was a single mom and her son had an oddly-colored soccer ball. That’s all I remember! I didn’t know anything about romances then. I just thought it was a cute, light book that was an easy read. It was what I needed at the moment.

What is your favorite Romance Trope and book(s) with said trope?

I’m a huge sucker for instant family and secret baby stories.

It’s tough to come up with favorites because of the way my brain aggressively compartmentalizes things I’ve rapidly consumed, but I know I’ve recently adored The Governess Game by Tessa Dare. Those orphans (and their reluctant guardian) slayed me.

What would you say is the appeal of prickly heroines? Can you give us some examples of your favorite “prickly heroines”?

I think the appeal of prickly gals is that you get all the fun of peeling back their layers and figuring out what makes them tick. You get the satisfaction of unraveling a little mystery in understanding the character and what drives her to be so guarded.

Some examples that come to mind include Georgina from Richelle Mead’s urban fantasy Georgina Kincaide series, the ladies in Ruby Lang’s Practice Perfect series, and Melissa Blue writes excellent prickly heroines as well.

Can you tell us a little about your latest release, Writing Her In?

Writing Her In starts with a one-night-stand that morphs into an unexpected ménage. Stacia, the prickly heroine, is a mystery author in L.A. for a couple of nights. While she’s there, her book series’ cover model propositions her. The problem is that he’s married and he’s madly in love with his wife, Dara. Dara has reluctantly accepted that she’s disinterested in sex and gives Adrien a “pass” for Stacia, but she soon discovers how complicated sexuality can be. Like Adrien, she’s attracted to Stacia, but Stacia doesn’t believe she can be for them. Not one at a time, and certainly not all together! She’s used to having her heart broken.

In my experience, it is more common to see menage with one heroine and two heroes. Did you set out to write a F/F/M or that is just how the story/characters came to you?

I’ve always wanted to incorporate FFM into my list, and luckily that’s how this particular story unfolded in my mind. I had one of those “what if?” revelations while scrolling through cover model Instagram feeds one day last year. I wondered what life might be like for an average guy who modeled as a side gig and had his face on the cover of dozens of books…and what would happen if their was chemistry between him and one of the authors. Of course, I couldn’t let it be that simple, though. Thus, Dara.

What is your favorite non-book related hobby?

Gardening when it’s warm, baking when it’s cold.

Where can Smexy Readers meet you this year, aka will you be at any signings, conventions, etc?

I’ll be at the inaugural Book Lovers Con in New Orleans, and hopefully I’ll see readers at the Romance Writers of America Literacy Signing in July!

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Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Holley Trent is a Carolina girl on the Colorado Front Range. She writes contemporary and paranormal romances that range from sensual to erotic. She pens stories about cowboys, alpha shapeshifters, modern Vikings, fairies, geeks, and athletes, and rarely shies away from a dirty joke. As H.E. Trent, she writes out-of-this-world, high-heat sci-fi romance.

Holley can be found on the line in the following places:

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