Turning It On

Please welcome Elizabeth Harmon here today. She has some great books out there that you guys won’t want to miss!

Hi everyone, and thanks Mary for having me as a #FiveOnFriday guest!

I write contemporary romance with a dash of different, featuring unusual characters and settings. I write stories that I’d like to read, but that no one else is writing. My current series, Red Hot Russians, is a sports romance series set in the world of elite competitive figure skating. My fascination with Antarctica led me to use it as the setting for Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella, came out in February.

I’m hard at work on book five in the series, “Shining Through,” which releases in September.

#1-Plotter or Pantser?

I’m more of a plotter and really enjoy the process of thinking through the plot, romance and character arc beats. It helps me feel more confident as I write the first draft. While it’s still a challenge to turn that clunky first-draft into the story I’ve envisioned, plotting helps me stay on track, when I don’t know what to write next. If a scene isn’t working, an outline lets me jump around in the story and write a scene I’m more excited about.

#2-Do you feel it’s important to write what you know?

When I first wanted to write I believed that it was important. I feared my life wasn’t dramatic or interesting enough make me a good writer. It wasn’t until I started writing my first historical that I realized my journalism background and love of research meant I could write about anything I wanted. It’s less about writing what you know and more about writing what you want to know.

#3-What gets your creative juices flowing?

Music. I make playlists for all of my books and this helps me get into the rhythm of the story. I also find it easiest when I’m able to work on the project steadily, and not lose the flow of the story and characters. Coming back to a story after a few days away is a struggle.

#4-Tell me about the heroes in your book/s.

As the series title suggests, they’re all Russian and they’re hot! But they’re also really good guys who’ve faced personal challenges and still treat others with kindness and respect —no Alphaholes here! Anton, Misha and Daniil, are famous figure skaters who are charming, handsome, sexy celebrities. Vlad is a former skater turned male stripper, who has survived a trauma that’s left him drifting, and feeling unworthy of love. Alexei grew up poor and dreamed of adventure. Now that he’s carved out a life and career in Antarctica, he’s determined to keep the station he calls home from closing.

#5-Do you have a favorite trope?

Every book I’ve written seems to have a Fish Out Of Water element. In the series debut, Pairing Off, I put a sunny Southern-belle pair skater in Moscow. In Turning It On, a shy, bookish heroine becomes a contestant on a cut-throat reality dating show. In Getting It Back, the fish is the hero, who ends up adrift in small-town USA after an injury puts a premature end to his skating career. In Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella, a sophisticated architect from San Francisco must forge a new life in remote and rustic Amity Bay, Antarctica.

Do you have a favorite romance trope? Post your favorite romance trope and why you love it in the comments section for a chance to win a digital copy of any book in the Red Hot Russians series.

Thanks for reading! Elizabeth

Red Hot Russian Alexei is king of the Ice…Antarctic style

Alexei Zaikov loves his life in remote Amity Bay, Antarctica, until a new luxury guesthouse threatens the community’s future. As head of Amity Bay, he’s driven to save it, but first must discover who is hiding out in the supposedly deserted lodge…and why.

Nora Bradford has lost everything; a promising career and the man she loved. Glacier Ridge Lodge, the architectural masterpiece she designed but was denied credit for, seems like the perfect place to grieve her loss, until a ruggedly handsome Russian arrives on her doorstep, determined to bring her in from the cold.

Desire sparks, leaving them hungry for more. But will the truth about Nora’s role in Amity Bay’s demise, doom their romance?

Warm hearts, cold nights, Southern Lights. Welcome to Amity Bay, Antarctica.

Don’t miss the rest of the series…

About Elizabeth

Contemporary romance author Elizabeth Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different. She is the author of the Red Hot Russians sports romance series. Her debut novel Pairing Off is a 2016 RITA® Award Finalist.