Mia Downing’s Scorching Hot Spies

Posted by Aug 19 2012, 12:05 am

Chances are you’ve heard of the runaway success of Fifty Shades of Grey. Not surprisingly, readers who have enjoyed Grey are now looking for more stories with similar levels of heat. Authors such as today’s guest, Mia Downing, are there to offer these readers what they’re looking for.

With the huge popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey, erotic stories seem to be more in the public consciousness now, and it’s obvious there is a market for these hotter stories. What is it about erotic romance that draws you as a writer?

Spy Games: Trained for SeductionHmmm…writing about hot sex while in your pj’s, drooling over hot men as cover model options… Decisions. LOL. I honestly can say at first the lure was the money. Readers want these books and they’re selling faster than condoms in a house of ill repute. But there’s definite freedom in writing erotic romance. There are so many genres, from contemporary to sci-fi to historicals. I also like that I can make the characters show growth in their sexual encounters and use those scenes as another tool to take the reader on a wild ride. It’s definitely fun.

Your new book, Spy Games: Trained for Seduction, is the first in a new series about spies. Tell us about the book and the series.

The book was so much fun to write. When Emma Walters first meets Chase Sanders, he’s deep under cover, trying to nail her father for terrorist activities. Things go horribly wrong, and Emma becomes his collateral damage and is given a choice–go to jail, or become a spy for the U.S. She chooses the spy route and becomes Kate Wells, wanted not only for her 170 IQ and bomb-making capabilities, but because she is a blonde bombshell, one the government wants to train for seduction to take down a terrorist with sick sexual needs.
 
Chase Sanders is her boss and has been volunteered by the powers-that-be to show Kate the sexual ropes. The catch–she’s a virgin, and Chase is already emotionally involved. A year of watching her morph into a blonde killing machine has him agonizing over this task. Making love to her means she’ll belong to another man, and success in the mission means she’ll die, too. Neither are an option he can live with.
 
The second book in the series will be out in October. Spy Games: Lethal Limits, is Jake’s story. Jake Anderson is Kate’s partner and Chase’s best friend.
 
The Blurb:
Secret Agent Jake Anderson would rather have the measles than love his best friend’s wife. So when she gives him a mission—to find his own woman to love—he knows just the woman to target. Exotic beauty Tia Richards—his new partner—is wild, twisted, and has no limits when it comes to adventure, in bed and out. She’s perfect for him. Now he just has to get Tia and his heart to agree.
 
Sexy spy Tia Richards has a problem, and the solution is Jake. The last time they hooked up, he left her bound and begging, unfulfilled, so close to finally getting the fireworks she deserves. But Jake loves his former partner, and Tia refuses to be second best. Will she listen to the ache in her heart that whispers she has what it takes to be first in Jake’s life, or will lethal limits separate them forever?
 
The last book in the series is Spy Games: Endgame and is Charlotte and Aaron’s story. Charlotte Smith is another product of collateral damage, this time from a failed mission of Jake’s. Charlotte was meek and submissive in her old life but vows to kill the men who took everything from her. Flash forward five years and she’s now known as the dragon queen, a trained assassin marking time until her Endgame is put into play. She’s serving as a bodyguard for Aaron James, Jake’s sexy actor brother, who is in danger. Jake is fairly sure she’ll kill Aaron before the week is over, but I think she likes Aaron a lot more than she’s willing to admit! Aaron has a lot of baggage of his own, and the sparks between the two lead to a passion hotter than a dragon’s flame.

What made you want to write about spies?

This book started out more as a bedtime story I told myself when my husband snored and I was too lazy/tired/cold to go to the couch. I had the characters, the plot, but it wasn’t quite right. Usually Kate ended up with Jake, and Chase was older. But one night Chase wanted to get the girl, so I made him younger and let him have her. And then I said, “OMG this could be a really sexy dirty book.” So I put an erotic romance spin on them, and here they are. I have no clue why they ended up as spies except for the fact that the spy aspect was really exciting (enough to cover the snores), there was a helicopter and Kate could become someone who was so far from what I was, but still be really feminine and fun.

Who is your favorite fictional spy? I will admit to getting a little warm watching The Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner. OMG, those arms.

LOL. He’s so divine, and I can’t wait to catch that movie. I loved the original Bournes, too. My favorite fictional spy is Sydney Bristow, from the ABC show Alias, played by Jennifer Garner. That character reminds me a lot of Kate, and it was just so much fun. That series was the starting point for Bradley Cooper’s career. Fun all around!
 
You also have a novella out titled Exceeding Boundaries. Is this connected to your spy series? Tell us about this story.

Exceeding Boundaries is about lawyers. Really. Nothing to do with spies. But it is a story with lots of conflict that sort of sneaks up on you, and the characters aren’t always what they appear to be once you start peeling back the layers.
 
The Blurb:
Lawyer Megan Connors wants a man, one that will wine her, dine her, and help her to forget the pain of a date rape she experienced as a teen. Her boss, Adam Wentworth, is just the man–tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed, and a confirmed player. He’s perfect for a weekend of non-committal sex that will entice her inner woman out to play for good. So Megan devises a plan for seduction, one that will lure Adam into her arms.

Adam has been attracted to Megan since day one, but his preference for dominance and her fragile air kept him at bay. Megan’s kiss under forgotten mistletoe is just the fuel his lust needs to exceed the boundaries she once put in place. He’s game, but he wants more than a weekend with the vulnerable yet sexy Megan.

When the weekend is over, will Megan allow the past to keep her bound or can Adam convince her she’s strong enough to submit?

For readers out there, how would you describe the heat level in your books?

Scorching hot. My editor is a hard woman because she reads smut all day long, and she says my missionary scenes make her squirm in a good way. If you’ve read Fifty Shades, it’s along those lines but there’s nothing extreme (just smokin’ hot). Expect explicit language, light BDSM, light bondage, toys, anal sex, and Spy Games: Trained for Seduction has a menage at the end. But no hardcore spanking or S/m activities. Actually, I try to use the sex scenes to direct character growth or show/enhance conflict, so it’s blistering hot but necessary to the story.
~~
Okay, now it’s your turn. Who is your favorite fictional spy? Mia will give away a copy of Spy Games: Trained for Seduction in the format of your choice to one commenter today.

52 Comments

Comments

52 thoughts on “Mia Downing’s Scorching Hot Spies”

  1. 1
    Helen says:
    August 19, 2012 at 2:18 am

    Is he coming to visit me after my weekend on The Gold Coast

    Have Fun
    Helen

  2. 2
    Helen says:
    August 19, 2012 at 2:29 am

    Hi Mia

    The books sounds really good hot sex and spies to go with it yay.
    I have not read 50 Shades of Grey but I have read quite a few erotic stories and have really enjoyed them.
    My favourite spy would have to be James Bond (Sean Conery) that suave cerfisticated Man could have me anytime LOL

    I have just gotten back from Romance Writters Aust conference and had a great time and there is a lot of talk about erotic stories. I think that they are really going to get very popular.

    Thanks Trish for inviting Mia a long today

    Have Fun
    Helen

  3. 3
    Mia Downing says:
    August 19, 2012 at 8:16 am

    OMG Helen, I love Sean Connery’s voice. So sexy!!! I personally like Pierce Brosnan, and I have a friend who was in the Eiffel Tower and saw him there!

  4. 4
    MJ Fredrick says:
    August 19, 2012 at 9:17 am

    Having read both 50 Shades AND Trained for Seduction, I have to come down in favor of Chase over Christian ;) Though I’m a Jake girl ALL the way ;)

  5. 5
    Nancy Goldberg Levine says:
    August 19, 2012 at 9:19 am

    My favorite fictional spy would have to be Bond…James Bond. And since I write sweet romantic comedy, I love Maxwell Smart. (Sorry about that, chief — LOL). These books sound great…loved the line of the blurb “Secret Agent Jake Anderson would rather have the measles than love his best friend’s wife.”

  6. 6
    Christie Kelley says:
    August 19, 2012 at 9:30 am

    I will stick the majority here and have to say Bond. I do prefer Sean Connery but I do like Daniel Craig’s version being a little darker. It’s nice to change it up a little after all these years.

    These do sound like interesting books, though. I’ll have to check them out if I ever get out of the cave!!

    • 6.1
      Mia downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 12:08 pm

      I haven’t seen the Daniel Craig version but I love Connery! Good luck on the cave. I can send a hunky spy on to save you if you want!

      • 6.1.1
        Trish Milburn says:
        August 19, 2012 at 3:05 pm

        Now that just might distract her from writing. :)

        Honestly, I wasn’t into the Bond movies in earlier incarnations, but I enjoyed the Craig ones. And I loved the bit he did with the Queen at the Olympics.

        • 6.1.1.1
          Mia Downing says:
          August 19, 2012 at 5:51 pm

          LOL My husband said, “The Queen realizes he’s not a real spy, right?” I’m like, of course, she’s a smart cookie.

          Daniel Craig can escort me anywhere. I won’t complain.

      • 6.1.2
        Christie Kelley says:
        August 19, 2012 at 7:18 pm

        No hunky spies right now! I have enough problem with a hunky earl.

  7. 7
    Sandyg265 says:
    August 19, 2012 at 10:56 am

    James Bond is my favorite fictional spy. Especially when he’s played by Sean Connery.

  8. 8
    Diane O'Key says:
    August 19, 2012 at 11:05 am

    Wonderful blog–and the book sounds “enticing”. :-) If I don’t win it, it’s on my must-buy list! Wishing you much success!!
    Diane
    CHERISH THE KNIGHT

    • 8.1
      Mia downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 12:18 pm

      Thanks so much, Diane! You deserve a book for being a spy groupie. LOL I love having you stop by!

  9. 9
    Lindsey Brookes says:
    August 19, 2012 at 11:26 am

    Looking forward to reading this with a huge glass of ice water…no, better make that a bathtub full of ice water. :) And Antonio Banderas in Spy Kids is my guy. I think he’s so sexy (especially in Zorro). I’m drawn to a guy with a sense of humor.

    • 9.1
      Mia downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 12:25 pm

      I loved spy kids Lindsey. Antonio is so hot no matter the movie. You need a hot bath with Chase instead of ice cubes!

    • 9.2
      Nancy Northcott says:
      August 19, 2012 at 4:54 pm

      Spy Kids was great!

      • 9.2.1
        Mia Downing says:
        August 19, 2012 at 5:41 pm

        I really enjoyed the Cody Banks series of movies, too. Those were so fun and wacky. My favorite series is still ALIAS, but I’ve watched NIKITA some and really enjoyed that as well. They’re both such strong heroines. You know the man that captures their heart is just as strong!

  10. 10
    Paisley Kirkpatrick says:
    August 19, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    I am so excited for you, Mia. This new series sounds like fun. You have a great voice and I know you will find success with your stories.

    • 10.1
      Mia Downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 4:43 pm

      Hi Paisley! I’m glad you stopped by. It was a fun series to write, especially creating a few spy gadgets for them to use in the last book. LOL

  11. 11
    Donna MacMeans says:
    August 19, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Hi Mia – Welcome to the lair!

    I’ve been a fan of Daniel Craig’s James Bond from the moment he emerged from the ocean in Casino Royale. OMG! That’s a freeze frame for the wall. I liked James Brosnan more in his Remington Steel persona.

    The books sounds great! Erotica seems to be the place to be right now. Good luck with the new series.

    • 11.1
      Mia Downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 4:51 pm

      Hi Donna! That one frame is probably all I know of Daniel Craig, and it’s a nice way to get to know a man! I love erotic romance. And I was joking about doing it for the money–I really, really like the no-boundaries set up by the genre. Well, there are boundaries, but they are things like no loving the dead people and no rape. I think those are easy to avoid. LOL

  12. 12
    Jeanne Adams says:
    August 19, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Hi Mia and welcome to the Lair! These DO sound scorching hot! WOW!! Love spy stories and these sound like they’re right up my alley.

    My favorite fictional spy is actually The Saint. I love the disguises. Grins. Bond, of course, and a spy from a British series, MI-5 played by none other than the sexy Richard Armitage. :> *Swoon*

    Mmmmmm…..sorry, lost in a reverie about Richard. Okay, back to the WRiting Cave for me….So glad you came to visit!

    • 12.1
      Trish Milburn says:
      August 19, 2012 at 3:08 pm

      Oh, yes, Mia, there’s a lot of Richard Armitage love in the Lair as well. I suspect a lot of Banditas will be there for The Hobbit on opening weekend because he’s in it.

      • 12.1.1
        Mia Downing says:
        August 19, 2012 at 4:47 pm

        I had to google who he is, but OMG is he HOT. He could be a stand-in for Chase. Or my favorite Daniel Villa. ::swoon::

      • 12.1.2
        Nancy Northcott says:
        August 19, 2012 at 4:52 pm

        Ooh, I totally forgot the MI5/Spooks crew! Yes, Armitage is great. So were Rupert Penry-Jones and Matthew McFadyen.

    • 12.2
      Mia Downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 4:48 pm

      Thanks, Jeanne, for letting me stop by! Richard is indeed worth swooning over. I wanted to meet the Golden Rooster, though. He wasn’t here when I arrived…

  13. 13
    Mia Downing says:
    August 19, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    I”m back from a job I had to do, and I’m not on an I-phone so I can actually type and sound like a sane, educated woman who can sorta spell. LOL

  14. 14
    Nancy Northcott says:
    August 19, 2012 at 4:50 pm

    Mia, welcome! Congrats on your new series. I love spies. My favorite ever spy/action hero would be The Scarlet Pimpernel. I also like female operative Modesty Blaise.

    Favorite modern guy spy would be Jason Bourne. Or Annie Walker from Covert Affairs.

    • 14.1
      Mia Downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 5:45 pm

      Thanks, Nancy! Ooh, the Scarlet Pimpernel, I didn’t even think of him. And Jason Bourne is way too hot for his own good. Loved those movies. I’m not much of a movie person, but the entire family enjoyed him (me more, since Matt Damon is so cute.)

    • 14.2
      Trish Milburn says:
      August 19, 2012 at 7:22 pm

      I love Covert Affairs, Nancy. I heart me some Auggie.

      It’s wild how before the Bourne movies, I would have never pictured Matt Damon as an action hero, but he totally pulled it off.

  15. 15
    Suzanne Ferrell says:
    August 19, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Hey, Mia!

    Welcome to the Lair!

    • 15.1
      Suzanne Ferrell says:
      August 19, 2012 at 7:39 pm

      Okay, trying to wipe cracker crumbs off the iPad had me hitting enter too fast:-)

      Favorite spies? James Bond… Sean, Pierce or Daniel.

      Bourne…both Matt Damon asJason Bourne and Jeremy Remmer as Aaron Craft. Yummo.

      • 15.1.1
        Mia Downing says:
        August 19, 2012 at 8:14 pm

        Hi Suzanne! Should you be eating crackers on your I-pad? You just like all of those spy men. LOL Jeremy Remmer is just divine.

  16. 16
    Nona Raines says:
    August 19, 2012 at 8:11 pm

    Wow! Sounds like a super hot series, Mia. And what a conundrum for the hero–he has to teach her to make love so she can seduce other men!

    Re: my favorite spy, will I get in trouble if I say Gary Oldman from”Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”? LOL! He’s tired, rumpled and sad–kind of the anti-James Bond!

    • 16.1
      Mia Downing says:
      August 19, 2012 at 8:16 pm

      Hi Nona! Chase is very conflicted about his task in teaching Kate. It makes for some great angst! And I’ve never seen Gary Oldman in that role! That sounds like too much fun.

    • 16.2
      Trish Milburn says:
      August 19, 2012 at 9:09 pm

      I haven’t seen this movie yet either, but I love Gary Oldman in everything I’ve seen him in, particularly the Harry Potter movies and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

  17. 17
    jo robertson says:
    August 19, 2012 at 10:53 pm

    Hi, Mia! A late welcome to the Lair! Your hot, hot stories sound sizzling. And I like the story lines too. I’m not much for just lots and lots of sex without any motivation behind it. Your books sound like they fit my bill.

    • 17.1
      Mia Downing says:
      August 20, 2012 at 12:15 am

      Hi Jo! Thanks for the welcome. I’m up late, so it’s appreciated! I agree on the sex with no motivation. Those types of books don’t appeal to me, either. I think it’s fun to use sex scenes to show, for example, how Kate becomes more confident with herself and as a spy, and how Chase becomes more conflicted. I hope my books do fit your bill!

  18. 18
    eli yanti says:
    August 20, 2012 at 1:02 am

    i’d just finished reading Invitation to scandal by bronwen evans and love it so my fictional spy will be Rufus Knight :)

    • 18.1
      Mia Downing says:
      August 20, 2012 at 1:34 am

      ooh, a Regency era spy! Well done, Eli. I haven’t read that one yet, but the blurb and the reviews are awesome!

  19. 19
    Patricia McLinn says:
    August 22, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    Scorching hot spies from Mia’s keyboard — can’t go wrong!

      

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