Seduced in Seoul - Helen Hardt

Please welcome my special guest today, fellow debut Scarlet Rose author Helen Hardt! Helen's book, Seduced in Seoul, was recently released and is a bestseller on the Wilder Roses Press - over 18s only, please!!

Thanks for joining me today, Helen!

Can you tell us a little about your debut book, Seduced in Seoul?

Of course! It's a short story in the Destination Pleasure series in Scarlet Rose, the erotic line at The Wild Rose Press. The series publishes shorts only, and all must be set in an exotic locale with an American heroine. The hero can be foreign or American. Here's my blurb:

The last thing Allison Sanchez expects when she arrives in Seoul is the Asian god waiting for her at the airport. Right away it's obvious he can't understand a word she says. But body language is universal, and Allison soon casts aside her inhibitions in favor of engaging in one of her secret fantasies with the hot chauffeur. Talking dirty during sex takes Allison to an all new high until she discovers her exotic lover is only half Korean--and her brother's American roommate.

How did the idea for the plot come about?

The Destination Pleasure series intrigued me because I often build stories around places I've visited. My husband, sons, and I are all blackbelts in taekwondo, and we visited Seoul two years ago with our taekwondo master. I thought it would make a unique setting for an erotic short, especially when I came up with the premise.

I love sale stories (ok I am just nosy!!) so can you tell us about your road to publication - and your call story?

I've wanted to write since I was in the first grade, but I didn't get serious about it until a few years ago. After completing a young adult fantasy fiction manuscript, I needed a fun read for a plane ride and picked up a romance for the first time in a decade. I got hooked all over again and decided to give romance writing a try. I've written about 400,000 words of romance in the last two years. Of course, it helps that my sons are now teenagers and I have a lot more flexibility.

The call? I actually got the email, LOL. But it was just as exciting. As I experiemented with romance, it became clear that I write to the steamy side ;). One day, when I was struggling with writer's block, I decided to write an erotic short to clear the fog. It worked, and that attempt became Seduced in Seoul. I submitted it to The Wild Rose Press, and my editor accepted it within a few weeks.

We are all about the love here, so please share your fave books, movies, TV shows or current fantasy squeeze (it's all in the line of research!)

Well, anyone who knows me won't be surprised. One of my favorite books is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, due solely to her marvelous hero, Jamie Fraser. And my fantasy squeeze? Gerard Butler. Check out my blog to see a wonderful picture of Gerard as Jamie Fraser. The best of both worlds, LOL!

What are you working on now?

My current WIP is an American western historical novella with a Native American hero. I'm also working on polishing a contemporary western that Silhouette requested at RWA Nationals.

How can readers keep up with your writing and books?

Go to my website, http://www.helenhardt.com/, where you'll find information on all my completed works and works in progress. I also have a myspace, www.myspace.com/helenhardt, so please friend me! And my blog, http://www.helensheroes.blogspot.com/, where I chat with authors about their heroes, post hunks on Wednesday, and share other information that (I hope) readers find interesting. I also have a free erotic short, Under the Moon, available at http://www.pinkchairdiaries.com/.