Author Deanna Dee is here today talking about her newest geek romance, Finish Him.
The book is only $.99 through November 24 on Amazon. Grab your copy now!
Bio:
Deanna Dee is strictly human and does
not, to her knowledge, own a hyena.
She lives by the sea, which she takes full advantage of in the summer time. People,
reading, and pop culture make up the shameless downtime of her life. The rest
of it is writing, and she’s okay with that.
Welcome, Deanna. Please tell us about
your current release.
Finish Him is the third book in my Games of Love
series, romance novels about gamer geeks. This book follows the love story of
Sonya (the group’s resident redhead) and Jaxon (her love interest). Here’s a
blurb:
Sonya
Black never expected a petty sibling quarrel could lead to her sister being
drugged. Overcome with guilt, Sonya vows to bring the jerk to justice. When she
dives into her own investigation, she lands belly up in the company of Jaxon
Nyles, the security guard who may have all the answers.
But
being a detective isn’t as easy as Sonya thinks. On top of that, Jaxon always
seems to be in the right place at the right time. Is he a suspect, or is he
falling for her? More important, is she falling for him?
The
round has begun. Who will flirt? Who will win? Will hearts break in the
process?
What inspired you to write this book?
To answer
this, I need to answer what inspired the series. I’ve always been a bit of an
odd ball geek. I used to read a lot of romance, but I got away from it when I
realized I could relate more to the goofy sidekicks or brainiac sisters who
didn’t really get their HEA. With The Games of Love, I wanted a series where
the sidekick girls were the main characters. So I wrote the books that way.
Excerpt from Finish Him:
“Hey.” Jaxon
takes my arm. His hand is warm, and it sends soothing energy coursing through
me like syrup. He tugs me toward him, and because I’m exhibiting canine
behavior, I follow. “Come on.”
We get
halfway to the front of the store before I realize I’ve left my cart. “My
food—”
“Forget it.”
He tows me along. “They have people who will put it back, and you can get more
later. Right now, you need some you-time, and I have just the place.”
Me-time? A
thousand questions fly through my mind like projectile weapons. What makes him
think I need me-time? What makes him think he knows me well enough to diagnose
when I need me-time? I try to ask, but the words stick in my throat. Heat from Jaxon’s
hand warms my skin, and his presence is comforting in a way I’ve never felt but
really need. For the second time since I met him, I let my lower brain take
control.
Jaxon leads
me to the parking lot. Either he’s had some serious video game hand-eye
coordination time or he practices walking around heavily trafficked areas at
night while wearing dark clothing, because we don’t come close to being hit by
a car. He moves like a panther, sleek and smooth, all the way to the other
plaza in Walmart’s lot.
“Huh?” Why is
he bringing me here? If I remember correctly, the only stuff in this plaza is a
hair place, which is closed at this hour, and a burger place, which may or may
not be a front for a bookie at this hour.
Jaxon
responds by leading me around a corner to more stores and pointing to a lit
sign. “Watch and learn.”
Twenty-Four
Hour Arcade.
Be still, my
heart. When did this move in? How did I not know this exists? “Awah—err-eeee?”
The presence of this establishment has short circuited my brain.
Jaxon gives
me a little push toward the red and blue lights of the arcade. “After you.”
Hell yeah. I
skip the distance to the door and lead our two-person precession into the glory
land beyond. Inside, a cacophony of sound crashes against my ears. The low
rumble of driving games is drums to the bells and whistles of the token-taking
slot machines. Shooting games with every type of gun from machine to
Western-movie rifle line three walls of an alcove to my right, and ski ball,
among other things, are off to the left.
“I think I’ve
discovered Nerdvana,” I say in a dreamy voice.
Jaxon pats my
back. “That’s exactly how I felt.” He herds me toward the token machines and,
before I can say anything, gets me twenty dollars’ worth of game time, which
apparently comes on a credit card now. “For you.”
For me? Whoa,
back it up. I don’t need him to pay for my stuff. “I can buy my own.”
He places the
card in my hand. “Don’t worry. You need it. You can buy lunch next time, and
we’ll call it even. Okay?” He makes it sound so simple.
How can I
disagree? “Okay.”
“Grand.”
Jaxon gets his own card and tips my chin so I’m forced to make eye contact. His
fingers are soft against my face. “You’re tensing again. Stop and have fun.
We’re in an arcade. There’s nothing but fun to be had.”
Damn it, he’s
right. How does he notice so much about me? I breathe and exhale slow,
unclenching my jaw. My entire week has been stress. Between finals and Bethany,
I’m wound tighter than barbed wire. One night on a freely given twenty dollars
of arcade time won’t kill me. Jaxon’s right. It will be fun, and fun is
absolutely what I need right now.
For the first
time this week, I give a smile that isn’t forced. “Let the games begin.”
What exciting story are you working on
next?
Next is
Parker’s book (book four). I don’t have a title or blurb yet, but there will be
theatre and super hero jokes.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
I’ve always
kind of wanted to write, but it wasn’t until my senior year of college (as a
psychology major) when the bug bit. That’s when I became a writer. I was
working on a really bad book at the time. So I learned a lot and became an
author last year. I like the title, so I’ll keep it.
Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
I do write
full-time. When I’m neck deep in a project, I’ll wake up, exercise and stuff,
eat, work for a while, maybe eat lunch, work some more, and quit around five or
six o’clock. My evenings are me-time. Even when I’m more focused on promo or
editing, this is how my day runs. Sometimes, I might do me-time mid-day and
work at night, but that’s pretty rare.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
Not sure
this is a quirk, but it’s a little interesting. When I’m home, I keep my phone
near me while I’m writing. When I’m at my boyfriend’s house, I purposefully
leave it in the other room so it won’t distract me (even though I’m in the
presence of the person most likely to call or text).
As a child, what did you want to be
when you grew up?
I wanted to
be a singer. At least I stayed in the arts.
Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
Buy my
book! (Kidding. Well, not kidding, but that’s not it.) Have a game night
sometime, no matter what you play. They’re great fun and a wonderful way to
spend time with people who matter.
Links:
Blog/website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon author page | Goodreads author page | Goodreads book page
Buy link: Amazon
Thanks, Deana! Happy writing.
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