Get Captive-ated

Welcome to my stop on the Captive Blog Tour! Eeep! This book by Brighton Walsh has EVERYTHING right when it comes to the controversial and tenuous relationship that IS the captor and the captive. You can check out my review here! And on my stop of the tour, I have the lovely and talented Brighton Walsh herself here to talk about her inspiration, her kidnapping essentials, and of course, hot boys.

Hi, Brighton!! Thanks for stopping by Belle of the Literati to answer some questions about your (amazing!!) new book! My first question is kind of obvious, but I'm still dying to know. SO! The captor/captive relationship is a pretty touchy if not controversial subject; what inspired you to write this kind of story?

My editor actually approached me with the idea. I’d never thought about venturing into it before, because it scared me, honestly. But I’m happy with the outcome and the growth that went on within the story and within the characters. It made me root for their HEA.

Thank you, editor! I know we've talked about this before but you make Madison a real woman--real curves, real imperfections, real insecurities and all--was this something you purposely set out to do? Do you find a lack of realistic body image and portrayal in a lot of young heroines today? (I know I do.)
Yes, it was very much a part of her character and everything fed off those details. I know several readers have mentioned that they wished she wasn’t insecure with her body. Believe me, I wish that, too. But if she wasn’t insecure, many of the issues in her past and current life wouldn’t have affected her the way they did—the way they had to for her to still have growth. Her accepting her body (and herself) is a huge part of her growth as a character.

And, yeah, there’s definitely a lack of diversity in books, and that’s in more than just nationality and sexual orientation. I think it’s great to have all varying kinds of heroines—petite to Amazonian to plus sized to super skinny—because they’re all reflective of the readers and the world.

I absolutely love that! And I'd also like to meet those readers who have an issue with that and uh maybe, punch them in the throat for the insensitivity BUT I DIGRESS! I love the captor/captive relationship and I discovered something while reading your book. While most people seem to be shocked by the captive falling for her captor, I think the beauty is in the captor falling for his victim. Where do you fall on this spectrum and do you think one role is harder to fall in love for the other?
I think it would be harder as a captive to fall for the captor. And this was an issue I had while writing. Initially, there were details about Ghost that didn’t sit right with me, and when I was about 75% of the way through, I couldn’t see how Madison would fall in love with him because I hadn’t fallen in love with him, even being in his head. So it took some tweaking to his character to make it plausible through my eyes, and thus, hopefully, the readers’. But Ghost was a much easier sell in that department…I’m not sure why. He was totally on board for it well before I had it planned in the outline.

Oooh, ok! I think that is so interesting that you had to rework him until you could fall for him, too! It makes complete sense but I never thought about it that way from your perspective as the author!

Ok enough serious questions, let's get to some fun ones!
If you had to be kidnapped some one/stuck in a cabin with somebody (one real person, one fictional) who would it be? (Looking for a hot guy answer hehe)
Well, of course I’d say my husband because I’m happily married. *cough* But if you held a gun to my head and asked me to pick someone else… I’d say Channing Tatum and Edward Cullen.

Haha, well the gun is there so Channing and Edward it is...although I'm sure your husband is GREAT! :) If you were kidnapped, what movies would be a must-have for you to watch on your laptop during your captivity?
13 Going on 30, The Bourne Trilogy, I Love You, Man, The Hangover, What’s Your Number, and I’m cheating here, but Friends: The Complete Series

Yeees, The Hangover! Because your captor is sexy and thoughtful, he gives you access to your e-reader, what five books do you buy to keep you occupied when you're not falling in love with your kidnapper?
How to Kill a Rock Star, Anna and the French Kiss, Sheltered, Graffiti Moon, and Animal Magnetism

Great answers! Who are some of your favorite fictional heroines that you feel represent real women?
Oh, man. This is a hard question to answer. I’m horrible (horrible) at remembering about the heroine. I’m…preoccupied. LOL That said, I really love all of Jill Shalvis’s heroines. They’re feisty and strong-willed and they are all women I’d want to be friends with in real life.

I have Jill Shavis on my list of romance authors to read! I'm even more excited now! This is the home of Book Bangin' and all things hot, so...who is YOUR favorite book boyfriend? You can name a top five or ten if you need to and yes, you can name your own characters. :)
Well, I won’t cheat and name my own, because they’re a given to me. I wouldn’t have created them if I didn’t love them all (and if they weren’t all swoony as hell). As for others…man. This is tough.

Garrett from The Deal

Bowen from Risking it All

Jax from Simply Irresistible

Brady from Animal Magnetism

Lucas from Easy

Etienne from Anna and the French Kiss

Tyler from Private Practice

Jack from Smooth Talking Stranger

Curran from the Kate Daniels series

Nev from About Last Night

Okay. I’ll stop. But seriously…I could go on and on.

Ok...I have not read any of those boys...I need to remedy this IMMEDIATELY! Thank you so much for stopping by and giving FANTASTIC answers to those burning questions! If you haven't read Captive yet, you need to read it right now!
And thank you St. Martin's Press for opportunity to interview this amazing lady!!