The first time I “meet” one of my heroes on the page, I’m surprised. 
Before I begin writing, I brainstorm, often for days. One thing I’m always sure of is that the hero will be a Dom, and to me that means he has certain qualities that help define who he is. He’ll have lots of integrity and confidence. Of course he’ll be handsome. He’ll also be powerful in his own way, no matter what he does.
In the case of Cade Donovan, the hunky Dom from Brand, I also knew he was a cowboy. (Wait. What? Did I just say he’s a cowboy and a Dom? Yeah. I did. This guy knows how to throw a lariat, ride a horse and tame the land””as well as his woman. Doms and cowboys. Could there possibly be a more perfect match?)
Perhaps the worst part of brainstorming is that I have to look at pictures of sexy men. I know. You feel for me””all those men”¦ Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam, Aidan Turner, Chris Pratt. In at least one shot, he has to look like he could a Dominant. It’s a certain set of his jaw as well as an intensity in his eyes. As you might imagine, this can require dozens of detailed searches. Since he’s a complex man, I also want to see him smiling. I’ll confess, a cheeky grin always appeals to me.
Once I have a picture, I begin think about him as a person. What does he want to accomplish in life? Why does that matter to him? What could derail him from that goal? How will falling in love with the heroine complicate his life? And I’m very interested to know why he wants these things. Did something happen to him in the past that made him that way? Did he maybe observe something that influenced him?
My understanding of him grows and changes over the course of a couple of days. I live with him in my head.
By the time I open up the Word document to type the words Chapter One, I think I have a good handle on who he is. I’m thinking, “I got this. I know this guy.”
And then
“¦
And then he shows up. He begins to interact with other people, and damn it””I realize I didn’t know him at all.
Have you ever had that experience before? You meet someone for the first time, and as you learn more about them, you see them in a whole new way? That absolutely happened to me with Brand.
I knew Cade Donovan was the oldest brother, his father’s bastard child. I knew that the first scene of Brand would be held at a wedding reception, but I had no idea how my heroine, Sofia McBride, would react to seeing him. I didn’t realize how much of an immediate and powerful effect he would have on her, the way his chilly gunmetal eyes would see things about her that no other man ever had.
And that may be the absolute best part of being a writer, the way I’m always surprised by my characters, no matter how well I think I know them.
I hope you enjoy Sofia’s journey as the powerful, determined cowboy sweeps her into his relentless, sensual vortex”¦
Blurb for Brand:
He wants her subject to his will. She’s scared she may never want to get away.
The first time Sofia McBride meets the strong and determined Cade Donovan, he warns her to keep her distance. She tells herself to heed his words, but she’s stunned to realize her depth of attraction to this intimidating man.
She knows she should stay away from him, but try as she might, she’s unable to resist him or his sexy, erotic demands. The deeper she becomes ensnared, the more she realizes she may never want to escape.
All his life, enigmatic rancher Cade Donovan has chosen women who don’t expect too much from him. But when a storm strands him with Sofia, his lovely, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer event planner, all his dominant and protective instincts flare.
Cade wants everything she has to offer, but he soon discovers Sofia’s beauty hides a determination he hasn’t counted on. Her untamed responses send him on a journey that will banish his demons and change them both forever.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of anal play.
General Release Date: 22nd September 2015
Buy link for Brand: https://www.totallybound.com/book/brand
About Sierra Cartwright:
INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLING AUTHOR
Sierra Cartwright was born in Manchester, England and raised in Colorado. Moving to the United States was nothing like her young imagination had concocted. She expected to see cowboys everywhere, and a covered wagon or two would have been really nice!
Now she writes novels as untamed as the Rockies, while spending a fair amount of time in Texas”¦where, it turns out, the Texas Rangers law officers don’t ride horses to roundup the bad guys, or have six-shooters strapped to their sexy thighs as she expected. And she’s yet to see a poster that says Wanted: Dead or Alive. (Can you tell she has a vivid imagination?)
Sierra wrote her first book at age nine, a fanfic episode of Star Trek when she was fifteen, and she completed her first romance novel at nineteen. She actually kissed William Shatner (Captain Kirk) on the cheek once, and she says that’s her biggest claim to fame. Her adventure through the turmoil of trust has taught her that love is the greatest gift. Like her image of the Old West, her writing is untamed, and nothing is off-limits.
She invites you to take a walk on the wild side”¦but only if you dare.
Check out Sierra’s new Donovan Dynasty website.
You can find Sierra on Facebook, follow her on twitter and check out her page on Tumblr.
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