Welcome Author Alex Carreras!

DON'T FORGET! EACH POST YOU COMMENT ON COUNTS AS AN ENTRY INTO THE CONTEST

ABOUT

ALEX CARRERAS

FACEBOOK  |  AMAZON  |  BLOG

 

Alex Carreras believes there is nothing sexier than a hot, naked man with a cocky attitude and a sultry smile.

Always on the hunt for inspiration, you will find Alex wherever there are attractive men hopefully in a state of undress. And since he lives in South Florida where the average yearly temperature is a balmy 82 Fahrenheit, there is certainly no shortage of inspiration

 

ARRESTED HEAT [HEAT 5]

BUY: Amazon  |  B&N  |  BookStrand

Jared Johnson moves to Siesta Key, Florida, for a chance at a new beginning among the sandy beaches, lush, swaying palms, and warm, turquoise water Siesta Key is known for.

Upon arrival, he meets Officer Grant Wilcox, one hot cop with an ex-wife and a ten-year-old daughter with attitude. Their attraction is instantaneous and combustible, but can their carnal passion last longer than the weekend, or will it wash away with the outgoing tide?

If it’s up to Jared, he’d stay wrapped in Grant’s muscular arms forever, but Grant needs a little more convincing since he still has one foot in the closet and fears he has too much to lose if their relationship is discovered.

Between late-night dinners, sunsets on the surf, and dodging a few bullets, two men from very different backgrounds attempt to make a future against all odds. But is love enough to keep them together.

 

STORY EXCERPT

Jared Johnson looked out across the sandy, white stretch of beach unable to keep a smile from forming on his lips.

Places like Siesta Key Beach only existed on postcards or television commercials advertising the perfect family vacation. Other families. Not his. His family had never been together long enough to be able to take a vacation, not to mention, afford one.

But Jared was no longer that poor kid. He was a grown man attempting to put his troublesome and sometimes dubious past behind him, and moving to the crystal sands and soothing, warm water of Siesta Key was just the way to do it, much like his younger brother, Derek, had done a few months earlier.

Derek had left Virginia in search of a better life, to find a fresh start away from the psychological scars and local gossip of Clarke County. He had done just that, finding a handsome boyfriend, Cody Connors, and making a new life amongst the swaying palms and endless, blue skies. Now Jared had done the same, making the move with no regrets.

Arriving only two days earlier, Jared promised himself he’d take a few days to familiarize himself with the area and take some well-deserved R and R, something he’d never allowed himself to do. Having absent, alcoholic parents and growing up in foster care with a little brother in tow never encouraged much time for rest and relaxation.

With the cool sand pushing between his toes, Jared shook his head and forced away the distant memories, happy that they were just that, memories. “This is my home now,” he whispered into the tropical breeze as if saying it aloud made it even more real. “And I am happy.”

Unbuttoning and stripping off his thin, cotton shirt, the October, midday sun warmed his skin, melting away the unseasonably cool fall of Virginia he’d left behind. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the salt air as seagulls screeched and raced along the water’s edge in search of picnic scraps left behind by vacationers and kids playing hooky from school. Reaching into his pocket, he emptied a packet of peanuts onto the sand. “That’s all I got, guys,” he said, shoving the empty wrapper into the back pocket of his cutoffs as the birds scampered for their meal.

This is paradise, Jared thought, chuckling at the smallest of the seagulls taking on the largest for the last remaining peanut. Everything was perfect, each grain of sand, each battling bird, and each…

Before he could finish his thought, Jared heard a man yelling over the sound of the surf in heavily accented, broken English. “Let go!” A man wearing a two-sizes-too-small, red Speedo, the accommodating fabric stretched to its limits, struggled against another man who resembled a Greek god dressed in a white, ribbed tank top and camouflage cargo shorts worn low on his hips.

Jared jogged toward the action, wondering if he should get involved and help break up the fight or keep going and find a soft, sandy spot to settle into and take a nap.

His conscience wouldn’t allow him to turn a blind eye. And Mr. Cargo Shorts was surely one hot man, criminal or not.

As he approached, Jared saw a pair of handcuffs flash out of the back pocket of the handsome man’s cargo shorts. He stopped dead in his tracks realizing he was witnessing an arrest.

A chill ran up Jared’s spine remembering the last time he was arrested, which resulted in a six-month stay in the Clarke County jail compliments of the state of Virginia and the arresting officer, Officer Steven Rodgers, a name he’d never forget.

It had been over four years, but it felt like only yesterday. And it was something he didn’t want to repeat, making the decision to remain alcohol- and drug-free the day he was released from prison. Jared wiped away a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand as he watched, listening to the foreigner claim his innocence and making his case.

“I did not expose myself! I thought this was a nude beach,” he yelled, struggling against the officer, the man’s face close to matching the color of his Speedo. “I am European. We are always naked!”

The officer rolled his eyes and began to read the perpetrator his Miranda rights as Jared stared at the man with the broad chest, pumped biceps, and the most perfect set of tanned shoulders he’d ever seen, imagining what he’d look like sprawled out naked on the sand.

Hot. Sweating. And ready.

 

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW

 

If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Adam Galindo from the Aragon Series. I love him. He’s comical, mystical, insecure and strong at the same time, and above all, he has a pure heart.

How do you know you’ve written a good book?

When my work makes me smile. That’s when I know I did a damn good job.

How do you keep your characters and stories organized?

I keep scraps of paper and notebooks everywhere, car, bathroom, by the bed….everywhere. But sometimes I lose those scraps of paper, and that’s when I start rereading my work just to make sure I got the facts straight.

What advice would you give an aspiring author about the ins and outs of the industry?

If your gut tells you it doesn’t feel right, I say make sure you listen to it. So far I’ve been extremely lucky. Most people want to see you succeed but there are a select few that don’t. You’ll quickly know who’s who.

Can you offer advice on how to move on from the dreaded rejection letter?

Firstly, allow yourself the time to cry, bitch and moan. And when you’re done being pathetic, start writing.

When is your favorite time of day to write?

I prefer writing in the morning, but I’ll take any time of day I can get. Unfortunately life can put up many hurdles.

When and where can readers look forward to seeing you this year?

I have a short story which will be included in an anthology coming soon from Breathless Press. After that I’m not sure. I have a few projects that are up in the the air and I’m waiting for them to land.