E-Reading After Midnight: Hot on Ice Anthology

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Hot on Ice Anthology

In Full Contact, the hero, Anders Sorenson, is a professional hockey player—and a virgin. At first, I wasn’t sure I could do it credibly. Sure, Kristen Callihan did a bang up (ha!) job of it in The Game Plan. But that book is perfect, and I didn’t want to copy Ethan Dexter’s motivation for staying a virgin. It took me months to figure out how a professional athlete, a god on hockey skates, would stay a virgin until he was 25 with puck bunnies (i.e. especially enthusiastic hockey fans) throwing themselves at him around every corner. Then, because I wanted to make things very difficult for myself, I dreamt up a plot befitting a teen movie.

At the beginning of the story, Anders has a bounty on his virginity. As soon as his Ragin Cajun teammates find out that he hasn’t had sex, they pool their money and promise to pay the taker of Anders’s cherry $150,000. Anders, being filled with pride, refuses to lose it. . . until he meets Dahlia Clarno.

At first, I wasn’t sure I could pull the virgin hero trope off, but Anders surprised me. He’s different from any other hero I’ve written before. In addition to being tough—and incredibly hot—he is kind and forthright in a way that calls to Dahlia from the start. Anders is struck by the way Dahlia isn’t dazzled by the fact that he’s a professional hockey player. Of course, she’s also unique and intelligent, but what he sees her focus and strength from the start.

I’m thrilled to share Anders and Dahlia’s story as part of the Hot on Ice anthology, which drops on March 21. I hope you love them as much as I do!