Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews: Interview with contemporary romance author Katie Mettner

Contemporary romance author Katie Mettner joins me today to chat about her new novel, The Secrets Between Us.

During her virtual book tour, Katie will be awarding a $10 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.

Bio:
Katie Mettner writes small-town romantic tales filled with epic love stories and happily-ever-afters. She proudly wears the title of, 'only person to lose her leg after falling down the bunny hill,' and loves decorating her prosthetic with the latest fashion trends. She lives in Northern Wisconsin with her own happily-ever-after and three mini-me’s. Katie has a massive addiction to coffee and Twitter, and a lessening aversion to Pinterest— now that she’s quit trying to make the things she pins.

Welcome, Katie. Please share a little bit about your current release.

The Secrets Between Us is a story that I actually wrote based on a writing prompt. A rich guy goes off and hides in a place that would be totally out of character for him. For some reason, I just saw a billionaire CEO wearing a trapper hat and hiding out in a fishing camp in North Dakota. Go figure, right? I absolutely loved writing this book. Mercy is damaged, a real black widow she believes, but she’s still trying to succeed in life. She’s been knocked down so many times most people would have given up. While she hasn’t given up, she also isn’t participating in life outside her little camp. It isn’t until Hayes arrives that she starts to see she might be missing out on a lot in life by hiding. Unfortunately, her past has left permanent scars on her body and mind, and Hayes is in no way equipped to help heal her. At least he doesn’t think he is. He definitely starts out the book as the guy you love to hate, but slowly, you start to see what’s resting on his shoulders and how that has changed who he is. Mercy, in all her brokenness, is the one to offer him the mercy he needs to move on in life. I ended up falling for these two and their stories and I hope the reader does too!

Excerpt from The Secrets Between Us:
The woman was magnetizing and she didn’t even know it. She was this tiny, beguiling, alluring vision of the woman who belonged in my bed, under me, and around me every night for the rest of my life. A jolt ran through me and then a shudder.

No, Hayes, you know how that will end. You have enough commitments with work alone. You don’t have the time or energy to keep a woman happy, loved, and in Mercy’s case, protected. You’ll fail at all of those, miserably, so don’t even attempt it. She’s not like all the other women who throw themselves at your feet.

She’s different.

She’s afraid.

She’s broken.

She’s strong

She’s damaged.

She’s fierce.

She’s lonely.

She’s independent.

She wears her past every day.

She hates her past.

She hates him.

She hates what he did to her.

She hates what she did to him.

She knows who she is and she accepts she will never be anyone else.

She has more depth in her little finger than you’ll ever find in this life.

She is more in this one place than you’ll ever be running the multibillion-dollar company that holds your name.

You are weak compared to her.

Get up, walk out the door, and don’t look back.

I shook the inner voice off. I wasn’t going to walk away. I was going to stay here and spend the rest of the night with her first. Then I’d walk out of her life and she’d be all the better for it.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am always writing a story! I just finished one that I am going to submit to Harlequin, so I can’t get too vocal about it yet. I will say my next release is the third book in The Bells Pass Series, which is my Christmas Series. If you’re reading along you want to start with Meatloaf & Mistletoe, Hotcakes & Holly, and this year’s release will be on November 1^st and titled Jam & Jingle Bells. It’s a fun, contemporary romance series that takes place in Michigan. You don’t want to miss it if you love Christmas romances!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I always loved to read and write, but I don’t think I really considered myself a writer until I had published a few books and had a few people who read them every time. Honestly, I still don’t think of myself as a writer. I think of myself as a writer-in-training. I suppose after 42 books I can probably drop the trainee part, but the way I look at it, it keeps me striving to always do better. To reach deeper and do more to give the reader a story they will never forget. I am pretty sure I will still feel that way when I hit 100 books, 200 books, or 300 books. I will always be in training because there is always something to learn.

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 don’t write full-time. I’m disabled, so I write when I feel well physically. It helps that I use voice recognition software to write. I can get a lot of words down at once and that saves my hands from all the typing. Then, once the story is told, I go back through and fix what needs to be fixed in edits. I usually write early in the morning, since that’s when I’m the most rested and when my house is quiet (I have three teenagers!) I also love writing when it’s dark and the coffee is fresh. There is just something about that combination that really gets my writer’s heart going all pitter-patter.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Probably that I don’t use a desk. I sit in a recliner with my laptop on my lap in my living room. I’m disabled, so it is the only way I can find a comfortable place to write.

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

It depended on the day? LOL While that wasn’t untrue, the one thing I always wanted to be was a mother, and I am, three times over, so I guess that part came true!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Thank you for hosting me today! I appreciate what you do for us as authors to help us tell the tales and get them into the hands of readers. I have over 36 published novels on my Amazon dashboard and they are all part of the Kindle Unlimited program. They range from contemporary romance to romantic suspense in various series and stand-alones, so please, feel free to check them out! I love reader feedback and interaction, so feel free to follow me on Twitter (I’m there WAY too much), join my author group on Facebook, or sign up for my newsletter. Thank you!

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