Interview with romance writer Dixie Lee Brown

Author Dixie Lee Brown is with me today and we’re chatting about her new romantic suspense, Heart of a SEAL.

During her virtual book tour, Dixie will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card (winner’s choice) to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, please use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too.

Bio:
Dixie Lee Brown lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by gorgeous scenery and at least three hundred sunny days a year. Having moved from South Dakota as a child to Washington, Montana and then to Oregon, she feels at home in the west. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who are currently all the responsibility she can handle. Dixie works fulltime as a bookkeeper. When she's not writing or working, she loves to read, enjoys movies, and if it were possible, she’d spend all of her time at the beach. She is also the author of the Trust No One romantic suspense series, published by Avon Impulse.

Please share a little bit about your current release.

Heart of a SEAL is the first book in my new Hearts of Valor series. It’s the story of Navy SEAL Luke Harding, who survives six months of captivity in an Iraqi terrorist stronghold. He’s rescued but devastating wounds cause him to turn his back on Sally, the sexy brunette whose memory is the only thing that kept him sane during his ordeal.

Sally has been hiding from her past for half of her life. When Luke refuses to see her in the hospital after his rescue, it breaks her heart and that of her 9-year-old daughter, Jen. When he shows up at their doorstep to apologize a year and a half later, Sally wants nothing more to do with him, but Jen welcomes him with the forgiving heart of a child.

In the dead of night, Sally’s house is blown up, and someone tries to run them off a mountain road. Sally’s past has caught up with her, and Luke is the only one she can trust to keep her and Jen safe. The secrets she must confess spark a mad dash to safety in remote Northern Idaho.

Even as the romance between Luke and Sally rekindles, and Luke meets up with old friends, former Navy SEALs who would die for him, their list of suspects gets shorter and shorter as they check off each name until there’s no one left.

But the danger still stalks them.


What inspired you to write this book?
I have such respect for the veterans and military personnel of America, and my writing in this series is my way of honoring them. Considering the incredible amount and type of training Navy SEALs receive and the brotherhood they share, it’s fairly easy to get them in and out of perilous situations, which makes it fun to write. Throw in some romance and a sexy, determined woman and, hopefully, end up with a book that’s equally fun to read.

Excerpt from Heart of a SEAL:

This excerpt highlights the bond between Luke and his fellow SEALs.

The last thing Sally wanted was to be the cause of an argument between Luke and the men he called friends. She forced a smile and stepped forward, grateful for the arm Luke slipped around her shoulders.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

Luke studied her with a cute little smirk on his face, then leaned toward her. “Only if you promise not to hurt them.”

She raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see.”

Luke coughed, successfully covering his amusement as he faced his friends again. “This is Sally Duncan. Sally, these are friends of mine—at least for now.”

The guys laughed uncertainly, as though they weren’t sure he was joking.

“The blond on your left is James Cooper. Coop is an explosives expert. He saved our butts more than once.”

“Nice to meet you, Coop.” Sally extended her hand, and the muscles in his forearm flexed as he gripped it firmly.

“The loud mouth there is Travis Monroe, aka the Shadow. He earned his nickname by getting in and out of places no one else could, quick and silent, like a friggin’ ghost.”

Travis doffed his ball cap as he shook her hand. “Just one of my many talents.” A suggestive smile played around his mouth, giving her an idea what he counted as a talent.

Luke groaned. “As you can tell, he’s modest too.”

Everyone chuckled, including Travis.

“The big guy is Matt Iverson.” Luke turned to the last man.

Matt appeared only slightly larger than Luke or the other men. His dark brown hair was cropped close in a buzz cut. Her quick perusal brought a slight flush to his neck and face, yet he nodded politely, and his warm handshake restored some of her quickly diminishing confidence.

A natural smile fell into place as she swept her gaze across the line of curious faces. “Luke’s told me a little—”

“It’s her. The lady in the picture. Right?” Matt’s gaze darted to Luke’s. “She’s the woman in that picture—the one you showed us—the one you had with you in that shithole.” He focused on her again. “You’re his angel. Aren’t you?”

Luke’s arm tightened around her, and one look revealed the intense emotions and memories he was dealing with. Sally pressed closer as he reached in his pocket and drew out the folded, faded picture of her and Jen. He handed it to Matt, who studied it and handed it off to Travis, then dragged her from the safety of Luke’s side and gave her a bear hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear before he released her and stepped aside. The scene was repeated twice more, with Travis giving her a peck on the cheek and Coop squeezing her shoulders in a sideways hug while handing the picture back to Luke.

All of them wore their affection for their friend as a badge of honor, and because of their loyalty to him, she’d been accepted and apparently thrust into the role of angel—one who’d helped to bring their wounded brother home.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m putting the finishing touches on the third book in the Hearts of Valor series. Then I’m on to a new project that’s still in the planning stages but will center around a former law enforcement officer. He’s been wounded on the job and is no longer able to perform his duties. Approached by two friends from Academy days, he’s invited to join a select and secret group, one that’s not claimed or acknowledged by any government … on paper, anyway. His first undercover assignment brings him face-to-face with an old girlfriend who isn’t even remotely the woman he thought he knew.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

It had to be the day I held my first published book in paperback version. I love my Kindle, but the books it contains are intangible at best. It took running my hands across the shiny cover and smelling the pages before I accepted the reality of being a writer.

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?
It’s my dream to write full-time, but for now I work forty hours a week as a bookkeeper for a real estate development company. Finding time to write is not always easy and often that time must be carved out of the hours I would otherwise be sleeping. Many times I finally sit down at the computer by 8 pm. Writing a thousand words before midnight is like pulling teeth some nights, but that’s my goal. It probably sounds crazy to lose sleep and push myself to produce words on a page every night, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have many quirks (Lol), but it’s probably more than quirky to write sitting in a recliner with my laptop balanced in some precarious position because my little dog insists she should get to sleep on my lap as long as I’m just sitting there doing nothing! Strangely enough, it works for me.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
This is a bit embarrassing, but I wanted to learn to play guitar and sing in a rock and roll girl band! Lol! Thankfully, that dream didn’t come to fruition!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I’d like to thank the readers for their willingness to discover new authors and new books to enjoy. Being a writer would be pointless without them.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Street Team | Twitter

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Google Play | Kobo

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

It’s been my pleasure. Thanks so much for having me.

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Interview with romantic suspense, new adult author Ketley Allison

Author Ketley Allison joins me today to talk about her new romantic suspense thriller, To Have and To Hold.

Bio:

Author of Romantic Suspense, New Adult and mature Young Adult novels.

Ketley Allison has always been a romantic at heart. That passion ignited when she realized she could put those dreams into words and her soul into characters. Ketley was born in Canada, moved to Australia when she was thirteen, to California when she was twenty, and finally to New York to attend law school, but most of that time was spent sitting in coffee shops and wine bars thinking of her next book.

Her other passions include coffee, wine, Big Macs, her cat, and her husband, possibly in that order.

Welcome, Ketley. Please tell us about your current release.

To sum it up, TH&TH is about lost love and kidnapping, ha! Basically, it boils down to what chances you would take to find the person you gave up years ago but realize you still love. Of course, I throw in a lot of roadblocks, but my goal is to have readers on the same desperate trail and wanting these two characters to end up back together for a second chance.

What inspired you to write this book?

I started TH&TH over a year ago, and due to a lot of upheaval in my own life, these trials transferred into my characters. Although Spence and Emme have a much different (and more insane) adventure than me, a lot of their feelings, hopes, determination and terror come from my own experiences. Because of that, they’re the most authentic characters I’ve ever created and very close to my heart. I can only hope to take readers into their world and keep them there until the very end.

Excerpt from To Have and To Hold:

“It’s Emme, Spence.”

I stiffened as that name traveled from Knox’s throat and into my ear. Thoughts and memories took hold, that name turning into a face.

Eyes the darkest shade of green. Cascades of ink-black hair. A smile to melt me.

“You’re wrong.” I said. “You’ve spent a few too many hours off the clock and twice that amount on booze and now you’re blowing up my phone because you’re hallucinating. Right? Right, Knox?”

 “You heard me,” Knox said, though not with unkindness. He sounded tired, resigned. Scared. “It’s been confirmed. The woman taken is Emme Beauregard. It’s Em.”

My knees hit the floor.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am FINALLY finishing the final installment to my Falling Paper Duet (title and book cover to be released in the next few months). It’s a romantic suspense with a jaded girl and a wounded man, involving poker, mafia bosses, the FBI and, of course, rediscovering love. As I grow as a writer, so do my characters, so readers will find that Scarlet and Theo have changed a lot since Paper Dolls, the first installment.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

As soon as I could read. Though honestly, it was through Sailor Moon. When I was really young, I loved this show. I wanted to be Sailor Moon so badly and have my own Darien/Mamoru. As this wasn’t possible in real life, I realized where I could put myself in Serena/Usagi’s place—through writing and stories. Since then, I’ve never looked back!

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 wish so badly I could write full time! But I’m a lawyer by day, had a baby last year, and a husband to bring me Big Macs on demand. It’s a full schedule, but I try to write at least 2k words a day. This year, I plan to release three novels (TH&TH included), finish my series, and really give readers what they’ve been waiting for from me.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I need a glass of wine to write sex scenes.

(Truly, it loosens me up and I can create a kind of heat—and figure out words other than “throbbing”—I never otherwise would’ve!)

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Sailor Moon! Or, if that failed, an author just like my favorite, Nora Roberts. (Yes, I know I’m a lawyer, but I’ve even utilized that

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I am BACK! Any unfinished series of mine will be finished this year, and the idea for another standalone is already in the works.

And, if readers love To Have and to Hold, there is also a prequel available, From This Day Forward, which is a look into Emme and Spence’s past and how they met, as well as other secrets!

Links:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Thank you so much for having me, Lisa!

Happy that you could be here!

Interview with short story writer Gwen Gardner

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Today is the second interview in a series with the authors of:

Tick Tock: A Stitch in Crime

An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology

About the anthology:

The clock is ticking...

Can a dead child’s cross-stitch pendant find a missing nun? Is revenge possible in just 48 minutes? Can a killer be stopped before the rescuers are engulfed by a city ablaze? Who killed what the tide brought in? Can a soliloquizing gumshoe stay out of jail?

Exploring the facets of time, eleven authors delve into mysteries and crimes that linger in both dark corners and plain sight. Featuring the talents of Gwen Gardner, Rebecca M. Douglass, Tara Tyler, S. R. Betler, C.D. Gallant-King, Jemi Fraser, J. R. Ferguson, Yolanda Renée, C. Lee McKenzie, Christine Clemetson, and Mary Aalgaard.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these eleven tales will take you on a thrilling ride into jeopardy and secrecy. Trail along, find the clues, and stay out of danger. Time is wasting...

“Each story is fast paced, grabbing the reader from the beginning.”

- Readers' Favorite, 5 stars

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

First up was C.D. Gallant-King (on April 19). Now up is Gwen Gardner. Her short story is a cozy mystery and is the subtitle of the anthology, A Stitch in Crime.

Bio:

Gwen Gardner writes clean, cozy, lighthearted mysteries with a strong ghostly element.

Since ghosts feature prominently in her books, she has a secret desire to meet one face to face – but will run screaming for the hills if she ever does.

She thinks there’s nothing better than a good mystery (being an excellent armchair detective herself) unless it’s throwing a ghost or two into the mix just to “liven” things up. Don’t worry, though. Ghosts may be difficult to keep in line, but they’re harmless—mostly. And it turns out they’re pretty good sleuths, too.

Gwen adores travel and experiencing the cultures and foods of different countries. She is always up for an adventure and anything involving chocolate – not necessarily in that order.

What do you enjoy most about writing short stories?

A short story is very self-contained compared to a full-length novel. It’s easier to handle all the odds and ends that go into a story and everything comes together quicker. I wouldn’t call it instant gratification, but sort of the same feeling.

Can you give us a little insight into a few of your short stories – perhaps some of your favorites?

My favorite short stories are the ones with my characters Indigo Eady and Franny Bishop. Indigo is a young woman who can speak to ghosts. Franny Bishop is the ghost of a former Victorian madam of some repute and Indigo’s closest companion. They are amateur sleuths and the byplay between them is really fun. Franny’s major goal in her afterlife is to find Indigo a man. It’s a hilarious bone of contention between them.

What genre are you inspired to write in the most? Why?

Cozy Mysteries with a ghostly element. The world is so chaotic these days. All you have to do is turn on the TV or fire up the internet to get a massive dose of reality. The everyday bombardment can be overwhelming. I write lighthearted cozy mysteries because it’s a break from the stress of real life. There is no overt violence or sex. The bad guy is always caught and justice is always served. And of course, add a splash of mayhem, a dash of humor and a bit of pot stirring to make things more interesting, and the result is very satisfying!

What exciting story are you working on next?

Another Indigo and Franny short story called Lady Sings the Boos. Franny develops a bad-boy obsession with late night black and white television’s Sam Spade. This leads her to hang out at a new club called the Blue Note, a 1940s post WWII era jazz club. She’s crushing hard on the previous owner, a ghost named Eddie, who won’t let the new owner put live music on stage. Any attempt ends up in chaos, blown amps and shorted microphones. The problem is, Eddie’s gang has closed ranks and no one can get near him. Indigo is called in to solve the problem, but how to do it if she can’t speak to him?  

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When I started writing my first novel. I wasn’t a good writer, but it was pointed out to me that by definition, a writer writes. That was good enough for me!

How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for writers?

My first books didn’t do well because I didn’t do my research. Who knew that Middle Grade and Young Adult don’t mesh well together in the age group categories? The best place to start is to find books similar to yours. From there, you can find out not only who publishes the genre and the categories to publish under, but accepted guidelines as well.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I like mood music and am a complete pluviophile (rain lover). I love a good rain storm and if the scene calls for it, I’ll listen to a rain storm sound tract. Also, one of my characters is the ghost of a sleuthing Benedictine monk called Brother Bart. I had the opportunity to visit Westminster Abbey and picked up a CD of Gregorian chants, so when I’m writing about Brother Bart, the chanting in the background lends atmosphere. 

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

This is a tough question. When I was young, boys wanted to be policemen or firemen or doctors, and girls wanted to be nurses. Those are the types of things that girls were conditioned to say back then, without any real thought put into what we really wanted to be. Now women have a lot more choices and are free to pursue whatever we want. I was an avid reader as a child (and now), so if a professional reader had been an option, I would have gone for it. Writing is the next best thing!

Tick Tock links:

Facebook | Website | Goodreads

Purchase links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes

Interview with sci-fi author Jon Del Arroz

Fiction writer Jon Del Arroz is here today and we’re chatting about his sci-fi space opera, The Stars Entwined.

Bio:

Jon Del Arroz is the leading Hispanic voice in science fiction. He is a multi-award nominated author, popular blogger, and journalist. His Steampunk novel, For Steam And Country, became a #2 Amazon bestseller in category. 2018 marks his triumphant return to space opera with The Stars Entwined, a novel about love and war. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and two children.

Welcome, Jon. Please tell us about your current release.

The Stars Entwined is a space opera about a human military internal affairs investigator named Sean Barrows who gets wrapped up in spy games as a war escalates with the alien Aryshan empire. On the flip side we have an alien starship commander Tamar, who is freshly minted in her duties and trying to prove herself. There’s intense personal conflict when they meet, which you can probably glean a little of what happens based on the title, but I’ll try to keep it mostly spoiler free. Once the two main characters meet, most readers tell me it’s very difficult to put the book down.

What inspired you to write this book?

I really wanted to capture the feel of some of the great space operas in the 90s like Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or Babylon 5. The character moments in those are what made them epic, because there was so much emotional turmoil that it really connected people to these universe-spanning conflicts. It also stems from my love of Lois Bujold and Elizabeth Moon’s character driven space opera book series. For me, it’s all about characters you can love and root for, and a lot of modern fiction is so dark with characters who are hard to relate to. I wanted to do something where you feel good about caring for the characters, and I think I accomplished that.

Excerpt from the Stars Entwined:

This is one of my favorite scenes from the book, which is in chapter 5. It’s pretty self-contained as Sean is investigating a string of attacks on Palmer Station, including a starship disappearing from dock. Here he’s trying to figure out how someone could have managed that, and go through the motions to get into the mind of the criminal. It gets a bit crazy as he unexpectedly finds he’s not alone out there.

“I checked again. You’re the only person scheduled outside of the airlock for another hour. We should report this.” Reyna sounded concerned. It did nothing to ease Sean’s nerves.

Sean tugged at his tether, and he floated back toward the station. Either a maintenance tech was out in a pressure suit without clearing the records, or someone was sabotaging the ship exactly in the manner he imagined happened with the Hong Kong. Sean wasn’t prepared for a confrontation with the latter. His counterpart obviously had far more experience with zero-g, moving without a tether like an old pro.

The other figure thrust from the hatch, speeding toward him. That ruled out a maintenance tech. No, this person meant to attack.

The two pressure suits smashed together, knocking Sean off course. The intruder grappled Sean and brought his thrusters to full strength. They sped toward the station.

            Sean flailed, glancing back toward the growing Palmer Station. He was about to get smashed into the hull. The impact would crack his pressure suit and release his atmosphere. The prospect of vacuum crushing his head made him gasp for air. If he survived this, he swore he would never go into space again.

            Sean tugged at his tether, pulling all of the slack toward him. The attacker looked down at Sean’s not-so-sly attempt to free himself and grabbed onto his arm, ripping Sean’s hand away from the tether with considerable strength. Inhuman strength.

            At that moment, Sean remembered his own suit’s thrusters. “Stupid, should have used those to begin with.”

            “Used what?” Reyna asked through the comm.

            Right, Reyna. “Not talking to you, again. Sorry! Ah, contact security. We’ve got a saboteur out here.”

            “A what? Are you okay?”

            “No time! Find me some back up!” With his other hand free, he set his thrusters to fire at full capacity.

The attacker adjusted thrust to match, but their velocity toward the station had already slowed. Two equal forces from both pressure suit thrusters canceled each other out with no friction to tip the balance. The prior momentum carried them toward the station, but it wasn’t fast enough to smash Sean’s suit open.

Sean bounced against Palmer Station’s hull like a rubber ball. “Ugh!” Something popped in his shoulder. Pain flared all the way down his arm. At least he didn’t hear the hissing of decompression.

Their trajectory shifted away from the station, both suits still engaged in full thrust toward each other. Momentum was the only difference. A second wave of pain shot through Sean’s spine, sending an unnatural jolt all the way up through his neck. While he was focused on his injuries, the attacker gripped his shoulders hard.

A surge of adrenaline jolted him like a crystal drive entering FTL. Pain didn’t matter if the alternative meant breathing vacuum. He couldn’t die. Not now.

Sean focused all of his strength and chopped at his assailant’s arms, dislodging both of the other man’s hands from his suit’s collar. He fought hard for control of the grapple, squirming to dodge the grip. His back throbbed and pain pulsed with each labored breath into his lungs.

The longer the fight went on, the more Sean would be at a disadvantage. The attacker was so strong, so fast. The attrition of pain would overwhelm Sean soon enough.

In a last-ditch attempt to free himself, Sean curled up his legs, using his feet as pincers against his assailant’s torso. He twisted the attacker’s direction, and by default the trajectory of the thrusters. Then he gave his best kick to the attacker’s thigh.

If the fight had occurred in gravity, his maneuver would have done little to impact the outcome, but momentum meant everything in space. When Sean set his enemy into motion, the thrusters took over. The two separated and veered off in opposite directions.

Sean took advantage of his freedom by adjusting his own thrusters to give him a push back toward the station’s cargo bay. He grabbed onto the lifeline and tugged until it was tight. Go, go, go! If his assailant could catch him again, Sean would never make it.

His shoulder burned, but he peered back over it, stretching the muscles and tendons anyway. His body protested, shooting deep pain all the way up his spine. He needed to gauge his assailant’s position.

            The attacker was in his peripheral vision, nearly a hundred meters away. The distance between them would be insurmountable at this juncture. He’d lucked out.

The attacker disappeared behind the Avery, and a moment later, gravity tugged on Sean. He’d moved much closer to the cargo bay than he realized. Before he could react to slow his thrusters, the bay’s gravity plates sucked him in.

Sean tumbled to the floor, and his suit thrusters cut out upon detecting the gravity field. All he could see was the nauseating, spinning view of the floor and ceiling of the cargo bay. His body jolted with each additional roll. The impact knocked the wind out of him, leaving him unable to cry out. He skidded across the docking bay floor and crashed hard into the wall.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m working on getting my steampunk series (of which the first, For Steam and Country, was out last year to a lot of success) out to a trilogy this summer. Most readers have been sending me email and the like demanding those, so I’ll deliver! I’ve finished the first sequel, and am in the middle of book 3.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Probably in 2009-2010 when I started releasing a web-comic that got me a few thousand readers. I’d toyed with things before, done a lot of writing-based roleplaying on the internet, but that was the first time a lot of people were reading my work and it made me drill down and become more serious.

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?

Yes in that I put full time hours into it. No in that I do other work full time also. I don’t sleep is the answer to the follow up question. But I force myself to write several hours a day. I do it when I first wake up, on my lunch break, an hour after work, a couple hours after the kids go to bed. Just get it in wherever I can and pretty much don’t do anything else. I quit video games, hobbies, and hanging out with people for the most part (sorry friends!) because this is my calling. Once you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit, and I’ve been keeping this frantic pace for over a year now. I have to in order to come out with several novels a year plus a short story every month for my Patreon subscribers.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

To me writing quirks are bad because they are repetitive things that happen that stand out to readers and pulls them out of the immersion. I find in my first drafts I have too many “did” words in there. For instance I’ll be in a paragraph that starts: Well, he did say writing quirks were bad things because it pulls them out of the immersion. Which I’ll have to revise to: Well, he said writing quirks were bad things because it pulls them out of the immersion. But I find quirks change. Once you notice them you intentionally stop doing them, or at least I do. So it’s always finding the next one before readers do.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A congressman. Now you couldn’t pay me to be a politician!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

This book has been in the works for more than 17 years. I’ve rewritten it several times because I wanted to get it just right, and I’m really proud of the hard work, I think it shows. If you love great characters, this book is for you. Even non-science fiction readers have told me they connect with it which is awesome. I hope you’ll check it out!

Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Thanks for being here today, Jon.