Guest Post and Giveaway: Risky Behavior by L.A. Witt and Cari Z.

We’re so pleased to welcome L.A. Witt, of the writing team of L.A. Witt and Cari Z., to TNA today, on the tour for their new collaboration, Risky Behavior, book one in the Bad Behavior series. L.A.’s here to talk characters with us, and there’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out those details below.

Welcome, L.A.!

Whose Character Is It, Anyway?

There are plenty of different ways to co-write. When Cari Z and I wrote the Bad Behavior series, we decided to alternate chapters with each of us writing from the point-of-view of one character. She wrote all the chapters in Darren’s head, and I wrote all the ones in Andreas’s (oh don’t act all shocked that I wrote the cranky and possibly dirty cop).

One of the challenges in this technique is that you still end up writing your co-author’s character to a certain extent—dialogue, his reactions to things, etc. And that part definitely gets tricky. Like, I know Andreas and everything that makes him tick, but I have to know enough about Darren to nail what makes *him* tick too, and Cari has to know the same about Andreas.

So how do we do it?

To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. Every time I got a chapter back from Cari with Andreas being…well…Andreas, she nailed it. For example… 

Andreas looked up just in time to catch the Snickers bar I lobbed at him. He glanced from it to me, his perma-glare turned on high. “What the hell’s this?” 

“It’s a candy bar. I thought you might have low blood sugar,” I said as I pulled out my chair. “Judging from your dizzy spell earlier.” I sat down, and the chair immediately listed to the side. Shit, it was missing a wheel. Great. 

“I don’t have low blood sugar.” He tossed the bar back to me. 

“That’s good to know.” I threw it at him again. “Keep it anyway, it’s delicious. Lunch of champions.” 

“A Snickers bar isn’t a fucking lunch.” Nevertheless, he put it down on his desk. I considered it a win. “You’re worse than my kids.”

That’s pretty much Andreas in a nutshell—perma-glare, stubborn, the whole works.

Of course we discussed our characters’ various quirks and traits upfront, and we could each pick up a lot by reading the other person’s chapters, but sometimes you just have to let the character lead the way. And when you’ve got characters like Darren and Andreas who are SO FREAKING OPINIONATED OMG, it’s a lot easier than it sounds.

~ L.A. Witt

About the Book

It’s day one of Darren Corliss’s career as a detective, and not only has he been assigned a notoriously difficult partner, but the guy might also be a pill-popping dirty cop. Internal Affairs needs proof, and Darren gets to be their eyes and ears whether he wants to or not.

Detective Andreas Ruffner doesn’t play by the rules, and he doesn’t play well with others. With bodies piling up and a list of suspects who are way above his pay grade, the last thing he needs is a wet-behind-the-ears kid for a partner. Or babysitter. Not even if that partner is easy on the eyes.

As Darren gains Andreas’s hard-won trust, they both realize there’s more than just mutual suspicion simmering beneath the surface. But their investigation is heating up as quickly as their relationship, and Darren has no choice but to go along with Andreas’s unorthodox—and borderline unethical—methods. As IA puts the squeeze on Darren to give up the man he’s falling for, he has to wonder—is Andreas the only cop left in this town who isn’t dirty?

[zilla_button url=”http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/risky-behavior” style=”blue” size=”medium” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Available from Riptide Publishing [/zilla_button]

About the Authors

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She’s still climbing that ladder, but can’t stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get ‘im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there’s a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Connect with Cari at her Website  or via her Blog.

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L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies. She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut . . .

L. A.’s backlist is available on her website, and updates (as well as random thoughts and the odd snarky comment) can be found on her blog or on Twitter (@GallagherWitt).

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Risky Behavior, one lucky winner will receive an ebook from each Cari and Lori’s backlist and a $10 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 6, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!