Indulgence Tour: Blackmailed By The Italian Billionaire by Nina Croft

Reader Girls hosts our final tour for Entangled Publishing's Indulgence Tour. What a tour it has been! Wonderful authors and equally wonderful authors. We hope everyone has enjoyed these tours as much as we have. Today we have Nina Croft and her Indulgence title, Blackmailed By The Italian Billionaire. We asked Nina some questions and she very graciously accepted. Thank you, Nina! 

Welcome everyone and now here's our interview with Nina Croft.

We're stuck together in a stopped elevator. Chatting, you tell me you're an author. How would you describe Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire to me? Hi Laurie, thanks for having me here today. Blackmailed is contemporary romance with believable characters and situations, but with that edge of fantasy that women dream about (well I dream about anyway!)

I think one of the reasons we read romance is to be transported to fabulous places and Blackmailed does just that, taking the reader from the English countryside, to sophisticated London, to a dreamy Italian island hideaway. Add to that a stunningly gorgeous hero and a strong heroine, both with combustible chemistry, and both fighting hard to overcome their almost insurmountable differences.

And here’s the blurb because of course I have it memorized (in case I get stuck in an elevator with someone…) 

Blurb: Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire 

Seduction by any means necessary…

Olivia Brent is happy with her quiet life in the country, until the imminent loss of her home forces her to embark on a search for her estranged father. Catapulted into a world of criminals and totally out of her depth, Olivia is rescued by the stunningly gorgeous and enigmatic billionaire Luc Severino.

Luc has never considered himself a knight in shining armor, and if he had been, then Jimmy Brent’s daughter was the last person he would choose to rescue. But Olivia is the key to finding her father, and Luc is willing to use any methods available, including blackmail, to persuade Olivia to help him find Jimmy and finally put the past behind him.

And if blackmail doesn’t gain her total cooperation, then perhaps a little seduction will… 

What was it like writing from the point of view of a billionaire? 

Fantastic—great fun! You can just imagine everything they could possibly want, and it’s there. I think one of the things that’s so compelling about a billionaire is that ability to just do whatever they want, whenever they want. It makes it even more impressive if they end up behaving in an honorable, heroic way. 

How do you keep the romance 'fresh' in your stories? 

For me, it’s all down to the characters. I think these stories have to follow prescribed lines within reason. When people pick up a romance book, they have certain expectations, and we as authors have to fulfill those expectations. Can you imagine a romance without a happy ever after? So all stories are going to have certain elements in common, but it’s the characters that make the story unique, and keep the romance fresh. 

I’ve heard quite a few writers say they like to people watch and listen. Are you a people watcher? 

I do love to people watch, but these days I don’t get much opportunity. I live on an almond farm in the rather remote mountains of southern Spain. It’s very quiet. My nearest neighbors are nearly a mile away so there aren’t many people to watch. The shepherd goes past with his flock most days—but that’s about it! 

How do you go about getting inspiration for your characters? Can you tell us about your inspiration for Luc and Olivia? 

I’ve always had a love for all things Mediterranean. When I first started reading my mother’s romances, (I spent a lot of time hiding behind the sofa reading things I shouldn’t) I was always drawn to the stories with tall dark, bad-boy heroes; Spanish, Italians, Greeks… 

Luc, the hero from Blackmailed by the Italian Billionaire, was inspired by all these. He’s actually half Italian and half-English and he’s all bad-boy. 

Lia was inspired by the sort of person I would like to be; she’s a bit of a tomboy and horse mad. 

You have a lot of books published. How do you do it and are you working on any other projects you care to share with us? 

I’m lucky enough now, to be able to write full time (mainly because we live a very simple life on our almond farm) so I have no excuse for not writing. 

I currently have a few projects on the go. I’ve just completed the extended version of my Sci-fi/paranormal romance, Break Out, which is due to be released in August, and is currently with my editor. I have a second Indulgence coming later in the year, this time with a very sexy Spaniard. And this month, I have a paranormal romance novella, Remember Me, coming out as part of a charity anthology Entangled is producing—all proceeds go to Autism Now. 

Finally, I’m currently writing the first draft of a paranormal romance which is a sequel to a book I have coming out in September, Bittersweet Blood. 

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes and Noble  | Books On Board 

About the author: Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Nina writes all types of romance often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

Find Nina at: Twitter | Facebook

About the Publisher: Indulgence is a digital only imprint from Entangled Publishing, an exclusive, boutique publisher of romantic fiction. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, Entangled's goal is to bridge the gap between traditional and indie publishing, giving both readers and authors the best of both worlds. Get more information at www.entangledpublishing.com