something in the way he needsHello everyone! Today I am very excited to welcome author Cardeno C to the blog!  Cardeno is here to talk to us about Something in the Way He Needs, a new book in a new series.  Cardeno has also brought a copy of the book to give away to one lucky reader.  Please join me in giving a big welcome!

Hi, Jay. Thanks so much for letting me stop by to talk about my new book. I’m a big fan of your blog so this is a real honor.


Thanks so much for joining us today! I reviewed the book here a couple of weeks ago and really loved it, but I wonder if you might give us a quick summary for those who haven’t had a chance to check it out.

Something in the Way He Needs is a story about two men who haven’t ever been able to find what they need. Some of this is because they’ve been looking in the wrong places. Some is because they needed to understand themselves before they could understand what would truly fulfill them. But most of it is because what Daniel and Asher really need is each other, and they don’t meet until the start of this book.


One of the things that drew me into the story right away was how different Asher and Daniel are from each other.  I found them both such interesting and unique characters.  Can you tell us more about how you came up with these guys?

At the risk of sounding as unbalanced as I actually am, I’m not sure I come up with characters. I mean, I write them, so at some level I must come up with them, right? But that process is more organic than it is overt. I’m big on music and I tend to have certain songs or certain themes that play over and over while I write a book. That helps me achieve the feeling I want to reflect in a book, which includes the characters.

For Something in the Way He Needs, I was inspired by the Beatles’ Something. To me, that song speaks to a person being drawn to someone, though the reason for the attraction isn’t clear. It’s something in the way the person moves, or something in the person’s smile, maybe something else entirely, but whatever it is, he is drawn to it, doesn’t want to leave it, and just wants the person to stick around long enough for the attraction to grow into love and for that love to show.

I hear that song and I think of Asher being metaphorically hit over the head by the sight of Daniel and not being able to walk away, despite not being able to figure out exactly why. And then there’s Daniel, dear Daniel. He has never stuck around for anything and now that he finally thinks he has found his home, he has to stand still in circumstances that would make even the most commitment-comfortable person run for the nearest exit. But, hopefully, by the end both Daniel and Asher figured out exactly what the “something” was that drew them to each other. (Hint: The possibly too long title of the book.)

As far as some of those more difficult scenes, I was very inspired by a video this time, which is new for me. I usually listen to music, I don’t watch it. But I saw Pink’s video for Try and that relationship dynamic melded perfectly with what I was aiming to convey for Asher and Daniel. So there you have it, the Beatles meet Pink – my inspiration for these characters and their relationship dynamic.


I enjoyed the inherent conflict between Daniel and Asher. Daniel is a bit of a vagabond. He is good at many things but loses interest quickly, moving around a lot and living sort of a freeform lifestyle. It contrasts so well with Asher who is so control oriented and needs to have structure and things in their place.

Yes, these are two very, very different men. They have different backgrounds, different interests, and different personality types. But what brings Daniel and Asher together is two cores that need to be filled with exactly what the other has to offer. Yin and Yang is how I think of them.


Unlike most of your other stories, this book delves into the world of BDSM. Prior to meeting Daniel, Asher is pretty hard core into the scene.  What made you decide to explore BDSM in this book?

You know, I’m not sure I’m comfortable saying I delved into the world of BDSM. I wrote a character, Asher, who made that his world prior to meeting his love interest but that took place off page, before the story starts. When we meet Asher, he explains that what he seeks in leather bars is control and, as demonstrated by his lack of any meaningful relationship, this wasn’t something he was ever able to find.

To me, this book is about needs being met, even if they’re unconventional needs, maybe even controversial ones. But the book isn’t about whips and chains and floggers. Whether that’s BDSM, I guess I’m not qualified to say. I think of it as simply human nature.


This book is the start of your new Family series.  Can you tell us more about the series as a whole and what we can expect coming up?

The Family series is a contemporary series. The books will be stand-alone, but the characters will be interrelated. In fact, some of those characters were introduced in Something in the Way He Needs.


Can you tell us more about what you are working on and what new things we can look forward to?

Right at this very moment, I’m working on a special update to the Home series characters. I hope this will be available over the summer. We’ll see how things go. I’m also working on edits for the next Mates book, called Until Forever Comes, and I’m writing a new book with Mary Calmes. Lots of fun stuff going on.


If my readers want to know more about you or your work, where can they find you?

Readers can find information about me on my website: www.cardenoc.com where I have all my books listed along with reviews and links and a few freebie shorts.


Thanks so much for stopping by and chatting with me today!

Thank you, Jay! This was fun.


Giveaway

Cardeno has generously brought along a copy of Something in the Way He Needs to give away to one lucky reader.  Leave a comment on the post for your chance to win.  The contest closes on Thursday, March 7 at 11:59 pm EST.

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