Kristabel Reed: #Interview with @Celeste_Prater for Fueled by Lust: Caelius

I was born and raised in a small town between Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin. Wanting to see more than my small Texas town, I joined the Marines, which satisfied my craving to see more of the U.S. and my drive to see if I could be one of the few and the proud.

A firm believer in educating the mind, I have achieved several advanced degrees, the latest being a master’s of science.

My true love is writing erotic romance, especially about alien hunks that know how to treat their females.

Drusus, Severus, Cato, Lucien, Caelius, Maxim and many more have swirled in my dreams until I had to bring them to life and allow them to find love within the pages of the Fueled by Lust book series.

Book 1 DRUSUS was nominated as Top 5 Finalist and placed 3rd in the 2014 RWA Passionate Ink’s 9th Annual Passionate Plume Book Contest in Erotic SciFi/Fantasy Category, Book 2 SEVERUS achieved BEST BOOK review rating and won April 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH Reader Poll at LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS, Book 3 CATO won the May/June 2014 BOOK OF THE MONTH Reader Poll at LONG AND SHORT REVIEWS. All currently released books in the series have resided made it into the Top 5 Bestseller Lists at Bookstrand.com within days of release as well as making it into the Top 10 Hottest New Releases in Erotic Science Fiction on Amazon.

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What is your story's heat level? How do you approach the sex scenes?

According to my publisher, the majority of the Fueled By Lust series falls into the SEXTREME category. They describe this as:

“Erotic audience. Extreme sex scenes; hard core; many instances of unconventional sex; no holds barred in sexual language; not for the faint-hearted; definitely will offend most readers.”

However, if taken in that narrow context, one would think that I’ve got heroines swinging from chandeliers while trussed within an inch of their life, or some gratuitous stranger sex in dark alleyways. Far from it. Granted, the sex scenes in these novels don’t hold anything back, but there’s loved flowing through all of it.

There’s a gradual build up to the electrifying chemistry between the Insedi and his identified female. Once he gains their trust, it’s no holds barred, burn-the-sheets, talk dirty to me, turn my butt cheeks pink, and touch me as much as you want type session. In my mind, there has to be some type of mental connection before the bedroom hijinks can unleash, otherwise you just have porn. This series isn’t a smut book. You’ll feel that overwhelming, obsessed love these guys feel for their mates while engaging in explosive sex.

How do you maintain activity as a writer when sitting at a desk all day?

I get up every morning at 5:00 am and work out. I have my own weight room in the house. I do work at a desk all day, but a majority of that is at my day job as a Project Manager, so I do at least get out of the house.

What is it that you loved about the main characters in your story?

I love that throughout the series, you can see the tightknit relationship between the Insedi warriors. I keep the characters coming back throughout the series and with each book, their personalities and camaraderie is reflected. As with every Insedi, you can’t help but love them. They are total sweethearts bundled up in massive, hot-as-hell bodies but there’s not an ounce of vanity in them. They’re clueless to their appeal.

What do you feel is your strongest type of writing? Humor? Angst? Confrontation scenes? Action? Sex? Sensuality? Sweet Romance? And why?

I’ve got every one of those descriptions touched on throughout the series, however I think my strongest is the sensuality. I like building up that shivering, knee wobbling anticipation before anyone’s back ever hits a mattress (or a wall…or a floor…). The Insedi have Greek lineage and speak with sensual accents. Just that alone gets the chill bumps racing.

Are you social media savvy? If so what do you suggest for others? If not, why not?
I think I am now. You should have seen me when I first decided to open a Twitter account. I laugh now about how nervous I was. I viewed it as jumping onto the communications Autobahn just as a diesel truck merges into your lane. SMACK! I was afraid I’d get out there and say something stupid and have the Twitter Nazi’s slamming me for my ignorance.

I definitely suggest that you be yourself when promoting your work or engaging with others. On Instagram, I even post pictures of my progress on working out. You’ll also see me sitting on my Harley. I’m real, so I should at least act like it, right?

What are some things from your life or things you have observed that you've infused into your stories?

Cato in Book 3 rides a Harley. I have one myself and it just seemed that with that monstrous tat, blue-tipped spiked hair, and studs lining his ear, the dude needed to be sitting on a monster bike.

If you had an unlimited budget, where would you like to visit for story-related research?

Since I can’t get booked on the next shuttle to Insedivertus, I’ll have to settle for Rome. Everything ties back to Rome and I’d love to actually see the Tiber River, the Sant’Obomono Medieval Church where the temples of Fortuna and Mater Matuta reside underneath, and …oops, think I just gave a little away on Maxim’s book currently in progress.

Any fun facts about the research for your book?

Oh, yeah. I have such a great life! For those that haven’t read the series, the Insedi warrior’s jobs on Earth are as male strippers and male escorts. I spent a lot of time in male revue clubs getting the feel of the surroundings, how women act around these gorgeous creatures, and some of the choreographed acts they entertain us with. In fact, that’s how I found the models for my covers. If you don’t mind, I’d like to give a little shout out to the inspirations for the series.

Cisco Perez portrayed Severus. He’s with a male revue club out of Orlando, Florida called Rock Hard Revue. Look for Cisco Male Entertainer on Facebook.

Devon Sutton is from Cleveland, Ohio is Cato. Find him on twitter under @devonsutton75.

Richard Jimenez, producer for Magnificent 7 Male Revue out of Los Angeles introduced me to Lucien’s model and a Magnificent 7 entertainer, Axel. You can find them at http://magnificent7malerevue.com/

Valentino is an independent male entertainer and is the hunk you see on Caelius’s cover. All that hair is real ladies! Look on Facebook for ValentinoMx.

Jason Spears is the first model that I’m using that isn’t with a male revue club. He’s with a nutritional company out of Texas and will be the model for Maxim’s book. He’ll knock you out with his smile.

Finally, tell us a little about your newest release!

Caelius’s story is a culmination of small events that happened to him throughout the previous four books, so I definitely recommend that any new readers grab DRUSUS, SEVERUS, CATO, and LUCIEN before you dive into this one. Characters from the previous books are seen throughout the series and the storyline/plot is intricately tied together. Even still, you get a conclusion for the main hero/heroine in each installment.

This series is about a group of aliens that were created when a roman emperor and his wife stumbled through planetary vortex and ended up on the planet Insedivertus. A pure energy life form merged with their life essence and became the Insedi breed. They lived happy lives until a planetary war annihilated their females and forced them to come to Earth to find mates.

Bottom line, they have to learn how to blend into society while keeping their secret well-guarded. Caelius is one of the male strippers at Heat Seekers night club, a business owned by the Insedi so they can be around more women. However, Caelius stumbles across his potential mate at a cooking class and starts a hot pursuit of this older woman that thinks he should go play with the youngsters. It’s got humor, a lot of angst, some sad moments, and a few shockers along the way. There’s also another story interweaved for a set of characters from the other books. Readers have been demanding Kallon and Ulixes’s story, so if you’re not into a little male on male action, then just skip over those parts.

Buy it at Bookstrand

Excerpt:

Gracefully, he sank to his knees and lowered until the robe stretched tightly across his legs. He laid the staff to the side and passed each hand across the top of the fire. The haunting sound of violins drifted throughout the room and instantly brought chills to her skin.

Captivated, she watched as he pulled his palms toward his body, as if cleansing himself with smoke from the flames. Broad hands rose to wooden clasps holding the robe together, and gently flipped them open one by one. Rhia caught herself leaning forward. She was enthralled, and she wasn’t the only one. He had everyone’s attention. Even the waiters stood still as statues as the mesmerizing event unfolded.

The last clasp fell away, and his long fingers began to slowly peel the material from his shoulders. Rhia couldn’t fathom how it was possible to make clothes removal an art form. This man was a master of seduction. His chest and belly teased through the parting material before the robe slipped completely off and drifted to the floor. Rhia’s breath caught in her throat. It was Caelius.

He wore nothing but a black loincloth and animal-skin moccasins covering the lower half of his muscular calves. His hair was loose and falling sensually around his shoulders, emphasizing the predator tooth gleaming between his bunching pecs. He looked like an ancient warrior spiritually preparing for an upcoming battle. The nipple ring twinkled in the light of the fire, and her mouth instantly watered. The flames danced and painted wavering shadows across his body. Every muscle he owned became deeply defined and beautiful. He was truly magnificent.

Celeste will be awarding a $25.00 GC to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.