Interview with contemporary romance author Kristina Mathews

Welcome readers. I’m helping romance author Kristina Mathews kick off a virtual book tour for her new contemporary romance, Diving In (A Swift River Romance #3).

During her virtual book tour, Kristina will be giving away a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, Kristina. Please share a little bit about your current release.
The sweetest revenge . . .

He’s the Swift brother who got left behind, the son abandoned by his father. Now Kyle Swift is a man determined to destroy the whitewater rafting empire built by the half-brothers he never knew, the Swift sons who got the life—and the love—he was denied. Seducing Fisher Jones isn’t part of his revenge, but sharing a bed with the beautiful whitewater instructor is the one bright spot in his otherwise dark plan. That is, if he manages not to fall for the sad-eyed beauty . . .

Fearless when it comes to facing even the most daunting river rapids, Fisher never takes chances with her love life—until the night she gets swept away by a sexy stranger. But when her one-night stand unexpectedly shows up in her whitewater class, Fisher faces her greatest challenge yet: keeping her heart safe from a man determined to put an end to the family business—and the life—she holds dear. . .

What inspired you to write this book?
The first book in the series was inspired by my husband and his brother, both former raft guides. They came home from fishing one day with a story of how they had jumped in the river to save some guy who had fallen in and was struggling with the current. I changed the two married brothers to single twins, the man to a woman, and the rest of the story took off from there. The first two books feature the twins and the women they fall in love with while running their rafting business. Fisher, the heroine of this third book has had a crush on Cody, her boss, throughout the first two books, but he only sees her as a friend. I fell in love with Fisher and knew she needed her own HEA. She thinks it would be easier to quit after he’s married, but she’s promoted instead. She tries to get over her crush with a one-night stand, but finds out her anonymous lover is a student in her whitewater guide school. He also happens to be a long-lost half-brother intent on buying out the company.

Excerpt from Diving In:

When it was his turn, Kyle was determined to make a good impression. On his fellow students, but mostly on his instructor. He wouldn’t be too cautious or too cocky. He would show that he’d been paying attention, soaking in Fisher’s words of encouragement and instruction.

He gave the commands. “Forward paddle. Stop. Left back.”

His crew did exactly as he instructed. The raft was perfectly positioned. Except the current was faster than he anticipated. They were headed straight toward the rock in the middle of the rapid. He used his paddle to make a correction, but he dug in a little too deep and he managed to spin them three hundred sixty degrees around. They hit the rock dead on, and the front of the boat lifted in the air, almost vertical, and everyone went flying into the river.

Well, not everyone. Kyle felt himself being jerked backward and tossed to the floor of the boat like a fish. He scrambled to a sitting position and found Fisher was maneuvering the raft through the rapid.

“I’m sorry. I guess I screwed up.” Kyle couldn’t remember the last time he’d admitted to a mistake. He’d made plenty, but never admitted them. But for some reason, he knew Fisher already knew he was in over his head, and she’d call bullshit if he tried to deny it.

“Help pull the crew back in,” she commanded as they came alongside the swimmers. “We’ll talk about it when everyone can benefit.”

Leia was the closest and Kyle was able to get her aboard; then she helped pull Brett into the raft while Fisher grabbed Nolan.

“Well, that was interesting.” Nolan shook his head and ran his fingers through his wet hair.

“Kyle has just demonstrated the dump truck move.” Somehow, Fisher kept her cool. Made it almost seem normal. “And the important thing is that he was able to account for all the passengers.”

What a loser. Instead of impressing her, he nearly drowned his fellow students.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m heading north, to a fictional small town at the base of Mt. Shasta. There will be outdoor recreation, such as hiking, skiing, and fly-fishing. Secrets, crystals, and small-town politics. A billionaire who wants to be a handyman, a world class skier who wants to save his hometown ski resort, and a female fly-fishing guide who wants to keep her father’s memory alive while fighting off the development of the historic town.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’ve always been a writer. I used to keep journals to get me through my teen years. I started my first Romance back in 1993 but never finished it. The premise of that story is the book Miranda writes in In Too Deep (A Swift River Romance #2). I started several books after my second son was born and I quit teaching in 2002, but I didn’t really take that next step toward publication until 2010 when I joined Romance Writers of America.

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 also work as a para educator (teacher’s aide) mostly working with emerging and developing readers. I do tell my students that I write Romance novels (kissing books to the younger kids) that they can read when they are older. During the school year I write in the evenings and on weekends. I post on social media before school and on my lunch break.

I’d like to say I get a lot of writing done in the summer, but not necessarily. Sometimes I am more productive when I’m busy. I find that when I have all day to work on my book, I spend too much of it revamping my website, engaging on social media, reading blogs or craft books to inspire my writing, and I tend to not get down to writing new scenes until the afternoon or evenings. But some of the other stuff is necessary, too. Even watching old romantic comedies helps me to see what works for me and what doesn’t.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I get my best ideas in the shower. Or the car. Or anywhere where I can’t get to my computer. I do often jot ideas on the notes app on my phone. If I handwrite notes to myself I usually can’t read them later. I can teach a Kindergartener how to write their name, but I can’t print worth beans when my brain is bursting with a plot twist or secret a character reveals to me unexpectedly.  

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A baseball player, musician, astronaut, teacher, Princess Leia. The great thing about being a writer is that I can be all those things. Well, maybe not Princess Leia. Except on Halloween, I usually dress as her to hand out candy to Trick-or-Treaters. This year, I went as Fisher, the heroine in Diving In. I wore the lifejacket my husband gave me for our anniversary and my board shorts, sun protective shirt and river sandals.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’d just like to thank each and every one of my readers. I still get a little overwhelmed by the idea that I have fans.

Links:

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