Today we have the honour of interviewing the awesomely smart and sexy author of Sugar Daddy, the hottest thing to rise from the south since biscuits and gravy, Rie Warren.

A Yankee transplant via the UK and other wild journeys, I’ve happily landed in Charleston, South Carolina, with my English artisan husband and our two small daughters–one an aspiring diva, the other a future punk rocker. We’ve put down roots in this beautiful area, raising children who meld the southern ‘y’all’ with a British accent; it’s a comical combination.

After earning my degree in Fine Arts, I promptly gave up paintbrushes and canvas for paper and pen (because being a writer is equally as good an idea as being an artist, of course it is). That was fifteen years ago, my writing career started! With a manuscript of super epic proportions! Safely stored under a lace doily in a filing cabinet. Possibly in England . . .

Since then I’ve done this and that, here and there, usually in the nonprofit arena, until I returned to my dream of being a writer. Even though I bask in the glorious southern sunshine as often as I can, I’m mostly a nocturnal creature adjourning to my writer’s atelier (spare bedroom) in search of my next devious plot twist or delicious passionate tryst.

No matter what genre or gender pairing I’m writing, I combine a sexy southern edge with humor and heart–and a taste of darkness. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Rie.
Thank you for having me *blushes*

Ok let’s kick things off. Where were you when the idea for Sugar Daddy struck?
Probably flat out on my back in bed or soaking wet with no pen or paper in the shower, because that’s always when a good idea strikes. I visualized the interview-office scene first and then Shay ran away with the story. She has no shame, that woman.

Do you base your characters on real people you’ve met. Please tell us there’s a real-life Reardon walking around somewhere!
I do base parts of characters on things I observe in real life: quirks, looks, sayings, snippets of conversation. For instance, Whistler was a guy I saw in Target, complete with the salt-n-pepper hair, the swagger, and the whistle when he spoke. Also, I think the SC lowcountry just breeds hot men. As for Reardon for realz? I based his looks quite a lot on David *eye-candy* Gandy.

Describe the scenario when you sit down to write. Any music, a specific room, snacks, lucky underwear, kids locked away?
Kids locked away—yes! The fan’s on, the lights are bright and I’m in my woman cave every night. I find it hard to write during the day. I always have my iPod—the one that’s been down the toilet, through the wash, and cracked on concrete but is still ticking. Music definitely revs up my muse. I also have a fave highlighter, pen, and my Burt’s Bees lip balm at the ready. Contacts off, specs on, face scrubbed, I set to work every night by 8:30 for four hours at least.

You seem to be constantly writing. Does your head hurt and do you have any fingertips left?
I pack my brain in sound proof cotton about once every three months, i.e. shut down the social media, shut off my mind and zombie-out. And you’ve heard how hard I pound the keys when we skype.

It’s no secret that you channel your talent into the more adult vein of literature. Do you get turned on when you write your steamy stuff?
It’s a well-known fact I have no probs writing sex. I love it! Do I get excited? Hell yeah! That’s how I know my readers will too.

Does Shay Greer talk like you? Come on, give us your best southern drawl.
Shay talked my ear off. All my characters do, and that’s the best thing (unless I’m being faced with a straight-jacket). I have to say, Shay is not me. While I live in the south, I’m a Yankee just soaking up the sweet, southern lifestyle.

Is the air salty where you live?
It is, as a matter of fact. I live right near the creeks and marshes. People are always shrimping and fishing off the side of the road, and I’m ten minutes from the beautiful beach at Isle of Palms.

Do you think you’re personally haunted by Lavinia Fischer?
Not yet, but she does have a habit of turning up in the stuff I write *winks*

Back to Sugar Daddy. We need to know, will we get two other brothers to drool over in the next books?
No other brothers, that I know of yet. However, Ransome’s book is the next one slated and he might be even sexier than his Reardon!

Will shays ex husband get his own story or a sidebar in the upcoming books? I need to know he’s going to be okay. You didn’t make him out to be a monster and I think a lot of readers connected/commiserated with him. I know I did.
I definitely didn’t want Palmer to come across as a horrible man—I wanted the marriage falling apart to be very realistic. He does deserve his HEA, and his story, a pretty gritty love triangle, is slated for book III.

And finally, why did the chicken cross the road?
So I could fry it up and eat it, of course!

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us, Rie. It’s been real a pleasure.
Thank you fine ladies for having me over!

Sugar Daddy is out now and available on Amazon. Grab yourself a copy and immerse yourself in Rie’s world of the sultry south. You most certainly won’t be disappointed.

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