Cedar Rapids Raccoons
Get a behind-the-scenes all-access pass to Lasairiona McMaster's Cedar Rapids Raccoons series!
***Synopsis***
It’s a series of interconnected standalones about a hockey team, each book features a new player on the team and their journey to finding love.
What is the sub-genre and trope? Did your characters lead you to this genre or was that decided before the story began?
Hockey romance – it’s my jam. I’m a huge hockey fan and have been for almost 20 years so it’s something that I’m passionate about. It’s been decided long before the story was born!
Are you more character or plot driven?
I’d say plot, but considering just how much my characters boss me around and tell me what’s what, I’ve got to say character.
With many main and secondary characters, how do you keep them separated in your mind? Do you have a story/vision board above your workspace?
I don’t! I have a murder board (a white board) with each series/book title/couple on it, but I can’t even see it from my desk. That’s probably why I have such a hard time keeping track LOL
I only have a tiny workspace in this apartment, so it’s not the easiest to navigate.
I know from previous interviews that characters take on a life of their own. Were any of the characters in this series determined to take their own direction instead of where you initially wanted them to go?
Oooooooooooh yes. Ares and Eloise in book two. I had an entire plot outlined, I had different tropes, I was ready to write and about 5k words into the book and they decided it was all wrong. They trashed about 60% of my outline and did their own thing.
It’s happening a little in book 3 (Ares’s brother, Apollo) too. They are so headstrong, but I suppose that’s my fault since I named them after gods.
Are any of the male/female POVs based on anyone you know?
Sometimes, yes. In my first series (I’ve recently pulled them down to re-edit and re-write) absolutely. In this current series, no.
Was there any one character/scene that was harder to write about than the other?
I think in my previous series Cleo and Kenzie were particularly tricky for me to write because I put so much of myself into those pages.
In this series so far, Justin. He’s a wear his heart on his sleeve kind of guy and that’s a lot like me. I was concerned readers wouldn’t respond well to his empathy.
What is your favorite book in the series?
Apollo and Edith (book 3) It’s not out until October so I can only say I love it because: reasons. But it’s my favorite so far.
I know that we aren’t supposed to have “favorites” as far as our children, but seriously, who’s your favorite character and why?
I think from this series, I love Athena. She’s a strong and powerful mother hen figure who clearly has her own issues. She adores her three younger brothers and she’s such a freakin’ badass.
Series question – Who is your favorite couple and why did you decide on their dynamics?
Again I’m going to say Athena. Her book won’t be until book 7 in this series, but I wanted to do a brother’s best friend trope for this just to add a little fire to the story.
How do you get inside these characters’ heads to find their perfect HEA?
I ignore them until they get too loud for me to ignore LOL
What scene in this book/series sticks out the most for you? Why?
I think Ares and Eloise. I’ve never really written a reformed bad boy before, and while he dropped his asshattery as soon as he met Eloise, he has a lot going on and a complicated past.
Series – Were any of the books harder to write than others?
See question about Ares going off-outline for over 60% of the book LOL!!!
How long did it take you to write this book/series?
Oof this is a tough one. I can’t really give an answer, for example the book I’m writing right now is the shortest of the series to date, but it’s also taken the longest because of life stuff.
Ares was the longest in words, but he took the shortest so far. There’s no rhyme and reason.
How did you come up with the title for your book and series?
I tend to suck at titles but I’ve had these book titles for well over a year. I wanted hockey terms that applied to each of the books for whatever reason.
For example, Athena’s book is called “Splitting the D” because her will-be boyfriend and her brother are line mates on the defensive blueline.
If you met these characters in real life would you get along?
Always. I try to write them that way. Though some of them wind me up the wrong way on the regular.
Series question – Did you know in advance that you were going to write this as a series or did one of the characters in book one demand their own story?
UGHHHHHHHHH this series started out as a 7 book planned series. It’s already up to 9 thanks to some characters from anthology pieces from later in the year. They’re feral.
If your book/series were made into a movie, which actors do you see as playing your characters?
Ooooh I have no idea. Maybe Ian Somerhalder for my hot twins Apollo and Artemis? I’ll have to give this some thought.
Can you give us a hint as to what we can expect next? Whether a new book and series or a sequel to an existing series? Can you share a small tease?
Book 3 in the series is up next, it comes out in October and it’s a DOOZIE. I can’t share anything yet, it’s first-draft and all of it is just a giant spoiler, but it’ll be worth the wait!
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Lasairiona McMaster!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2023/07/author-at-glance-lasairiona-mcmaster.html
Lasairiona McMaster writes sassy, classy and badassy women and strong, yet vulnerable men. She challenges reader’s expectations by openly dealing with mental health issues, often exploring tough-to-handle topics and ‘taboos’ and books with a whole lotta heart.
She can either be found enjoying a gin and lemonade by the Irish sea, or baking sweet treats in her kitchen while singing at the top of her lungs. When she’s ‘home’ in Texas, and isn’t eating fresh-popped popcorn while buying things she has absolutely no need for in Target, she can be found at Chuys eating her body weight in chips and queso and washing it down with a margarita swirl. She loves to make friends out of strangers.
Connect with Lasairiona:
Long blonde hair, curves in all the right places, and a death glare that hits harder than a slap shot to the solar plexus. On the ice, I’m a pro at blocking shots, but Savannah Bowen has slipped behind all my defenses and made a home in my heart.
I had no intention of revisiting the past, but when she’s damn near everywhere I go, I’m a goner.
Savannah
Hell freakin’ no.
It doesn’t matter that Justin Ashe is seven feet tall and sexy as sin, or that I’ve had a crush on him for years. He cheated on my best friend in high school, and that makes him off limits.
I can’t be with him, but damn, it’s impossible to stay away from him. Girl Code says uteruses before duderuses.
He’s supposed to be my enemy, but the more I see of him, the blurrier the lines get.
Welcome to UCR hockey, where fierce AF heroines and hot as puck heroes find their hockey ever afters. If you pucking love college hockey romance series, you’ll adore UCR Raccoons hockey.
FREEZING THE PUCK is a delicious slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, ovaries before brovaries sports romance. This interconnected full-length stand-alone is the first in a new series with no cheating or cliffhangers and has a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
Eloise:
Ares de la Peña: VIP hockey goalie, stripper, bisexual playboy.
He lives for the limelight. He’s everything I should avoid, yet I’m drawn to him in ways I don’t understand. As our worlds collide, I discover he’s more than just the flashy heir to a billion dollar fortune. I’ll never fit into his world. But I want to.
Ares:
What is it about this girl? She hides her scars behind her bright hair, quirky clothing, and striking lipstick, but I see her. She’s the calm that quiets my demons while running from her own. My reputation precedes me, which is usually a good thing, but in this case her preconceived notions about me aren’t working in my favor.
Edith:
In the blink of an eye, everything I’ve worked my whole life to achieve is gone, maybe forever. I’m not prepared to accept that I’ll never dance again. It’s all I’ve ever known, and I’m scared to find out who I am without it.
The only person still in my corner is my hockey playing, son-of-a-billionaire best friend, but no amount of money can help me walk again. His intentions are admirable, but I can’t risk falling for him.
What if I lose him, too?
Apollo:
Waking up after a near fatal car crash, I realized I’ve been in love with Edith for as long as I’ve known her.
Nothing matters anymore. Nothing but my beautiful, smart, funny best friend who is convinced we’re doomed to fail.
Money can solve a lot of problems, but not this one.
How can I persuade her to take a chance on me, on us, when she’s lost so much already?
Tori
How dare he act like we’ve never met?
I thought we connected, but after a steamy one night stand, the hockey hot shot ghosted me, leaving me with nothing but wounded pride and two pink lines on a stick. And not the hockey kind.
Well, not this time, bud. You fooled me once, and I’m never giving you a second chance to fool me again.
We don’t need you.
Raffi
She’s not a forgettable woman, so why does she insist she knows me?
One look at her son and it hits me like a slap shot to the chest. The resemblance is undeniable.
How can I convince the mother of my child to let me be part of their lives, when I don’t even remember her?
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