Caridad Pineiro Returns to talk sin and sexy sports heroes

with Anna Sugden

I'm delighted to welcome back to the Lair, a great friend and an awesome author - Caridad Pineiro. We always have such fun when she drops by and I know this time won't be any different, especially as she's here to talk about her sexy sports hero in need of redemption (and we all know how much I love sports heroes!)

So without further ado, let me hand over to Caridad.

Thanks, Anna. It's great to be back with the Banditas and BB's.

I’m a tv-holic. I even watch television while I write, usually mixing up what I watch to match what I’m writing. When I’m doing paranormals, I’ll pop in something like UNDERWORLD. Big action scenes? Out comes KING ARTHUR or GLADIATOR. Feeling like I need a little romance? Any Sandra Bullock film, but especially MISS CONGENIALITY or TWO WEEKS NOTICE.

I guess that need for visual inspiration all goes back to my family and how I grew up. My future husband-to-be once asked me, “Doesn’t your family know where the power button is on the television?”

In my family’s home the television was on all the time because we were always watching something. Whether it was scary movies on a rainy Saturday, a James Bond film or a big athletic event, my family would gather around the television.

Those three things in particular left an indelible impact on me, cementing my love of paranormals, suspense and sports. It seems only natural that one day I would combine all of them into a story!

That’s how the basic inspiration came about for Stronger Than Sin, but when it came to the sports part of it, I wanted to dig a little deeper. Like many children, I grew up admiring sports heroes, in my case Chrissie Evert and Billie Jean King. Unfortunately in recent years, though there have been inspirational figures like Bo Jackson and Tim Tebow, there have also been a lot of cases where the cult of celebrity has placed more than one sports hero in a negative light.




The hero in Stronger Than Sin, Jesse Bradford, is one such hero. Jesse allowed fame and fortune to take him on a wrong path. One which had him deviating from the family values with which he was raised. What I wanted to show in Stronger Than Sin is how a man is capable of redeeming himself and getting back on the right path in life.

I fell in love with Jesse as he rediscovered honor and loyalty. As he made difficult choices and did what he could to protect the heroine, Liliana, as well as the family that had forsaken him because of his sinful ways.

I hope you’ll fall in love with Jesse also!

Do you feel sports heroes have let you down or do you not see them as role models? Are there any examples of sports heroes who are good role models? Who is you favourite sports hero in a romance novel?

We have some fabulous prizes to give away today! A copy of Stronger Than Sin, a Stronger Than Sin T-Shirt and a Stronger Than Sin Tote Bag! All you have to do is take part in today's fun with Caridad.

Caridad Pineiro is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of sexy paranormal romance and killer romantic suspense. Her vampire series The Calling has won numerous awards and her South Beach Chicas have received much acclaim. You can find out more about Caridad and her books at www.caridad.com.