Author Override is the place where authors take the reins and take you on a journey into their world. Some may allow you into their private writing dens. Others may take you along with them on research trips or interviews. Whatever the case may be, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because here you’ll get an in-depth look into an author’s musings.

ALEXANDRA BRENTON

Thanks so much to the Under the Covers ladies for having me on the blog today!

I love romance novellas because guaranteed happy endings mean that heroines and heroes aren’t always delicate with each other—in fact, they can be downright mean because you know that they will always end up together.

In Tide’s Ebb, I wanted to explore that idea more: what would really happen if you acted like a sheltered, stuck-up heroine in real life? What kinds of conflicts would be so serious that a hero and heroine wouldn’t be able to stick together?

So the heroine, Marianna Holt, is downright unlikeable. Sure, she’s smart, sassy and drop-dead gorgeous (like most heroines), but she knows it, too. Her current beau, Bradley, looks great on paper (and everywhere else…) But he’s got some major flaws: a secret family history and a really disgusting porn habit (I don’t want to say what it is, but let’s just say it’s a legitimate reason to break up with someone).

The narrative in Tide’s Ebb is circular—mimicking how, in real life, we sometimes keep making the same mistakes and going round and round again wondering if they current guy is the right one. Marianna does get a happy ending, but it’s definitely not the one she had been planning on.

But even if Tide’s Ebb is obsessed with how romance feels in real life, it’s not intended to be realistic (anything but…) It’s absurd (this is a book where a guy takes off all of his clothes before he rescues a drowning woman), it’s funny, and it’s really, really dirty. Not sexy (ever read I Am Charlotte Simmons?)—just really dirty (the fantastically filthy-mouthed Tara Sivec and the wonderful Seduction and Snacks are much cleaner and sweeter than Tide’s Ebb). Tide’s Ebb has been called a spoof—but it’s more of an absurdist love letter to the romance genre, using all of the clichés and purple prose to I’ve loved ever since picking up my first Harlequin Presents…

It’s definitely not for everyone. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book, which might give you an idea of whether it’s for you:

“Her petite figure provided the canvas for luscious curves that threatened almost to tip her over, although she had never once fallen over merely because of the weight of her pert, but ample, breasts.”

“Suzanne was kind of slutty, and it was good for every hot woman to have a slutty best friend because being able to judge your friends is one of the greatest gifts of friendship.”

“I only let the boys film us bumping uglies if they promise to film in black & white! It’s so much more romantic that way…”

“I guess it’s sort of cute that he’s auto-erotic asphyxiating to us!”

“A little bit of lube and some patience are all you need!”

“Seriously, is cunnilingus your only criteria for a soul mate?”

“Come on, Marianna! Women are like Priuses—although we can go for miles and miles without it, sometimes we still need to get filled up!

 

TIDE’S EBB
by Alexandra Brenton

Sassy Manhattan lawyer Marianna Holt has the perfect life and the ideal fiancé. But a shocking bedroom revelation shatters her limits, her confidence, and her world. When her law firm sends her out of New York for the first time, Marianna feels lost at sea.

Life-long Rhode Islander Captain Lawrence doesn’t need high-maintenance city women or a last name. When the gruff sea captain saves Marianna from drowning, he knows he’s in over his head. The head-strong odd couple shares only two things: a deep dislike of each other, and an undeniable attraction. Sparks fly, but will they catch fire at sea?

About the Author

Since growing up as an only child in Manhattan (when she was sure she was the only child in Manhattan), Alexandra has known she would be an author. She’s been reading romance since the age of ten (under the covers, with a flashlight, of course) and started her first book (a Regency romance meets Akira-style anime) at fourteen. After a brief dalliance with the legal profession, Alexandra now writes contemporary romance with “clever, snappy dialog.”

Alex (or Alexandra, as her friends call her) likes writing books about strong-willed women and tough, impenetrable alpha males who are just little more developed than cave men.

She lives in Newport, Rhode Island with her husband, two adorable twin boys, and an evil cat named Kate Middleton.

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