Tell us a bit about yourself.
I write erotic romance that I dubbed LoveRotica. That means I write love stories with an edge of sexy. In my books there will always be a love story, even if it is short lived. Not all love stories are marathons, some of them are sprints, but they are love just the same! As you can tell, I am a hopeless romantic and am madly in love with the concept of love!
Tell us about your most recent book.
Untangled is a paranormal fairy tale told from the villain’s point of view. It is a part of the Once Upon A Villain Series started by Siren Allen. There is a total of 10 authors participating in this series. Mine is a retelling of Rapunzel and tells how Mother Gothel’s character became so wicked.
Only in Untangled, the main character has been renamed Gugu Brown. She is the Queen of the Cosmetics Industry. After being bullied in her youth, she became obsessed with beauty. Gugu has a secret, that if revealed will turn her adoring public against her and topple her empire.
Who is the villain or antagonist in your story and what is he/she like?
Gugu’s enemy is the devil and his minions. The main one is the Bank Manager, who manages the Bank of Souls in hell. He is the boss of the love of Gugu’s life, Sin. He takes pride and joy in punishing Sin for his disobedience.
Is one of your main characters a supernatural creature that is traditionally considered “evil?” If yes, how does this character break that traditional stereotype?
Yes, the love interest in the book is a man named Sinclair Maddox, but everyone, including the devil, calls him Sin. Sin is recently deceased and new to hell. He has been assigned to watch over Gugu Brown to ensure she keeps her Faustian deal.
Sin is not your typical minion from hell. He is new to the game and is still adjusting to being evil. He falls madly in love with Gugu, and all he wants is to please her. He will do anything for their love. He is passionate and loving, which is not the typical behavior of a minion.
What do you think are the heroic qualities your villain/antihero/supernatural creature possesses?
Gugu Brown is a mean woman on the surface. She strikes fear in her employees just from walking into a room. However, she is heroic in the fact that she insists on using all-natural products in her cosmetics and refuses to test on animals. She has compassion, but masks it behind her company’s values. She is saving the world, one cute little animal at a time.
Is there any respect between this character and the hero/heroine of your story?
Yes, of course! Both Gugu and Sin have tremendous respect for each other in both personal and business aspects. Gugu relies on Sin to provide her with advice and to calm her. He provides comfort and clarity for her. Sin relies on Gugu’s compassion to soothe his spirit and he respects her ability to be a Boss in every sense of the word, but then come home and be his woman because that’s what SHE wants.
What was the most difficult part of writing about this character?
The hardest part of writing Gugu was remembering that she was a villain. I fell in love with her character and in some ways identified with her. I had to go back and insert scenes that would remind the reader that she wasn’t a “Princess”, but a fierce villain.
If you could give this character one piece of advice, what would it be?
I would tell her to avoid all Faustian deals! They never end well.
What kind of antagonist is your favorite?
I love a snarky antagonist with a propensity for violence. They make it fun and exciting.
Who is one of your favorite fictional villains (can be from a book, movie or television)?
Oh, that’s easy… Annie Wilkes from Misery! That woman was crazy as a bed bug, but she was a loyal fan. She gave Paul Sheldon the business! How she hobbled him in the movie was both shocking and intriguing. Have you ever asked yourself how she came to know exactly how to do it? There was no hesitation and it went off without a hitch. Somebody has been practicing! (insert evil laugh)
That Stephen King is a genius. The scene was much more gruesome in the book, as she chops off his foot with an axe and cauterizes it with a blow torch. Awesome!
Who is one of your favorite fictional antiheroes?
Hands down, it is John “MF” Wick! That man was so sexy. All he wanted was to mourn his wife and pet his little puppy, but people wouldn’t leave him alone. He had to bring a can of whoop-ass to make them understand that he was nothing to play with. Keanu played that role, baby!
What is one of your favorite paranormal creatures and why?
I am partial to shape shifters because they can take on other identities at will. They get to hide in plain sight, giving them an edge over their enemies.
Excerpt from Untangled by L. Loren: Copyright © 2019 L. Loren
“Gugu, doo doo! Gugu, doo doo! Gugu, doo doo!”
The chants rang out all around her. Gugu Brown walked into Charming Middle School with one thing on her mind… leaving. She hated it there. Every day since that juvenile delinquent Rory Cannon arrived out of nowhere, she had been tormented. He was rich and mean and thought he ruled the school. Apparently, he did, but she never got the memo. Rory took one look at her acne filled dark skin, thick glasses and crooked teeth and decided she would be his pet project. He made her life a living hell, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“Here she comes! Get ready for the stench,” Rory called out.
Gugu discretely tried to sniff her under arms to make sure there wasn’t an onion party happening in her shirt, but that only made it worse. Rory saw her and called her out.
“Look, she’s sniffing her under arms. She can even smell herself! You know you’re funky when you smell your own self,” Rory said.
“Yeah, look at her. She even looks like she stanks!” Loretta Miller chimed in.
“I wouldn’t touch her smelly tail with a ten-foot pole,” Simon Peters added.
“Rory, I don’t understand why you have such a problem with me. If you give me a chance, I know we could be the best of friends.”
He looked at her like she was the vilest person on the planet, and to him, she was. He curled his thin lips into a snarl while looking her up and down. He was not impressed with her highwater pants and her cheap shoes. She had the nerve to wear pennies in her penny loafers, while everyone else wore dimes. Not only was she deemed ugly and smelly, but now she was labeled as poor.
“Nobody in their right mind would want to be your friend. Your stink might rub off on them.”
The entire eighth grade class bore witness to her humiliation. The chanting started low with Rory, his voice grew in volume little by little, until more kids started joining in. It rippled around the hallway. Louder and louder they chanted the vile words that would haunt her for years. It surrounded her until that was the only thing she heard. She couldn’t escape. Everywhere she turned another face popped up spewing the venom. She wanted to run, but the kids blocked her in. All she could do was stand there with her hands over her ears, the faces of each of her tormentors getting bigger and bigger.
“Gugu, doo doo! Gugu, doo doo! Gugu, doo doo!”
“No! Please! Stop it. I don’t smell. Please stop!”
Gugu Brown woke from her nightmare with a start. She jolted upright, unable to see anything. Oh shit, I’m blind! She reached up to feel her eyes and discovered she was wearing a sleep mask. Yanking the cover from her eyes allowed them to adjust to the low lighting in the room. It took her a good minute to realize where she was. Safe and sound in the master bedroom of her luxurious penthouse apartment. Ahh, now she remembered. As Gugu pulled back the silky soft bamboo sheet from the king-sized bed that sat in the middle of the spacious room, she retrieved the remote control from her bedside table. Opening the blackout curtains, she revealed the picturesque sunrise rising over the skyline of her hometown, Gohisca.
It was time to start her day, no time for stupid little boys who tried to ruin her life. No, Rory and his little crew were taken care of long ago. Now, they only existed in the bad dreams that occurred occasionally. She could handle a little nightmare as long as it meant waking up in her coveted home surrounded by beautiful things. Pretty things made everything better.
“Get it together, Gugu! You have a world to conquer today!”
Just as she completed her daily grooming routine, her personal hairdresser and her makeup artist knocked on the door and entered without a reply.
“Good morning, beautiful! How are we this morning?” Johnny her hairdresser asked.
“I don’t know who this “we” is you speak of, but I am doing just fine.”
“Eww, someone’s feisty this morning. What’s wrong, doll, didn’t you sleep well?”
“Save the small talk, Johnny. Did you bring me my tea? You know I need my hot tea in the morning.”
“Here’s your tea, Miss Brown. I hope it is to your liking,” Shalita, her makeup artist, said as she gingerly sat a china cup and saucer on the vanity in front of Gugu. She stood back waiting to see if her boss would approve.
Gugu lifted the butterfly patterned teacup to her lips and took a sip of the concoction. It only took one small sip to determine the tea was trash. She tilted the cup and splashed its contents all over the mirror
“That is disgusting! Are you trying to poison me? “
Shalita gave her the side eye as if to confirm Gugu’s suspicions, but she dared not speak. This was a normal day in the Brown household. The boss lady was always up in arms about something. After serving the woman for the last four years, Shalita had become immune to the morning outbursts of the tyrant. She tucked her head, bit her tongue and did her job. She was a well sought-after makeup artist and could demand whatever price she wanted. As a matter of fact, as far as gigs went, this was one of her better clients. The money was great, and the work was consistent. Shalita never had to worry about being paid for her services. Gugu ran a tight ship when it came to paying vendors, and she knew her check would always be accurate and on time.
“What kind of look are you going for today, Miss Brown?” Shalita asked as she took a thick white towel and mopped up the tea puddle. She sprayed the counter with cleaner and wiped it up before spreading out her tools.
“I have a lunch date today, and I want to look sexy, but not like I am trying too hard.”
“Got it.”
An hour and a half later, Gugu was sitting in the back of her car headed to work, her face beat and her edges poppin’. She was ready for whatever came her way.
About L. Loren:
L. Loren holds a Business Management Degree from the University of Mount Olive. As a former call center supervisor, her desire to write lay dormant for years, until she found the courage to live her dream. She is currently based in Birmingham, AL with her loving and supportive husband.
L. Loren created her own brand of erotic romance that she dubbed LoveRotica – Love stories with an edge of sexy. Her catalog of sexy stories is self-published and available on Amazon. You can purchase them here: https://www.amazon.com/L-Loren/e/B01MSTKUBI/
Her stories and poems have been featured in magazines, and several anthologies. L. is also the curator of the Love is Color Anthology, available for free on Smashwords.
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