BLOG TOUR & GUEST POST: Intensity by C.C. Koen

What would you do to improve your life?

Twenty-one-year-old Serena Thomas is faced with a tough decision. Unable to get ahead of debt and loneliness since her grandmother’s death she finds a new job, placing the sheltered virgin in an underground escort business. She tells herself it’s just a temporary life choice, but destiny has a different plan. She meets a mysterious and gorgeous man, who happens to be her new boss. Will Serena fit in or will she be left all alone again?

Lincoln (aka: Linc) Jefferson has an unusual life. He established The Lounge, an exclusive escort club for very personal reasons. A place where the women say who, when, and what type of sex they’re willing to have. The escorts possess all the power and the money. It’s a business Linc guards at all costs. Trying to maintain the secrecy is a constant challenge and one that’s tested when he enters into a relationship with Serena. She tempts him unlike any woman, even though he’s surrounded by beauty on a daily basis. The more time they spend together the harder it is for him to keep his secrets. Will Serena stand by his side or will she abandon him?

Sparks and passion fly, taking these two on a journey neither could have expected.

The inspiration to write Intensity

By C.C. Koen

A strange thing happened while…driving to work one day. A lusty fantasy seized my brain, taking over as co-pilot. Before I knew it, a parking lot and my intended destination appeared. Scary, right? Imagine how I felt. My common sense had just taken an unannounced vacation. I thanked the high heavens no one had been hurt and I’d arrived safe and somewhat sound.

The next seventy-two hours weren’t much better. Having learned my lesson the previous day, I retained complete control behind the wheel. Not used to this odd phenomenon though, I didn’t know how to handle the consuming thoughts taking over my brain. Work and home had been put on hold. Food and sleep didn’t exist. Adrenaline rushes fueled me, but sustenance came from the ever-evolving tale, living and breathing in me.

After three days of manic preoccupation, I surrendered to the surging ideas, picked up my laptop and typed, and typed, and typed. The frantic-forming romance story continued steadily for three months. At that point, feedback became a necessity and the great race for an editor began.

Connections made, feedback gathered—multiple times, and mega-money spent, I entered a zone often termed as, “hitting a wall.” As a newbie writer, the “wall” related to: 1) my writing style and 2) the genre. I discovered, being an avid romance reader did not equate to writing it. Almost simultaneously, I did two things: enrolled in writing workshops and joined an online writing group.

The result—a newbie author’s first impressions of writing a novel…

A tortoise and hare race to the finish

I started out the hare, but ended up the tortoise. At first the ideas were so rampant I felt compelled to write fast. One year and three months later, being the tortoise was much better. Writing was an emotional process. My mood impacted what I wrote. When I went back days, weeks, or months later and reread, I didn’t like a large portion. The tortoise approach gave me ample time to gain perspective, develop clear character viewpoints, and add depth, emotion, and conflict to the max. The biggest benefit—my writing style improved each and every time.

The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning

Oh, what a twisted, tangled web…confused? Right answer. Writing is a convoluted, passive-aggressive process that can send an author on a wild goose chase. Each interaction with the characters, plot, and conflict took me on a unique journey. When I began writing, the middle and end wasn’t quite clear. When I thought the story was finished, it wasn’t. The editing and revising seemed to go on forever, leading me to hire an editor way too soon. A costly error, doing damage to my bank account and my ego. If not for my persistent, strong personality I might not have continued, finishing the story became a personal challenge.

Writing my first novel beat me down, ate me up, and spit me into an overflowing cesspool of competing ideas.

But, it did not best me.

2x $5 Amazon Gift Cards (INTL)

Swag pack (incl. t-shirt, magnets and more) (INTL)

C.C. Koen writes contemporary romance with a twist. An avid reader who enjoys mystery and suspense, her stories will never be what you expect. Determined to find adventure in her dreams and life, she enjoys skydiving, sailing and any activity that challenges her. Teacher by day, romance writer at night produce an active imagination that comes to life in her writing. Intensity is her debut novel.