contemporary romance – Maria Gibbs

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Sophie Valentine

January 19, 2017January 18, 2017 gibbsdream

Can we start with your name and where you’re from?
S. Valentine, and I’m originally from England, but living in Spain.
Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?
Yes, I absolutely love reading, and always have. My inspirations are so many different authors.
What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?
I write romance, erotica, suspense, a bit of horror, and hoping to write some YA in the future.
If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?
Carrie Bradshaw from SATC. I know the book was more letters / a column that a fictional story book, but it was a story on the show, and I loved that character. Also the Gossip Girl characters, in particular Serena Van Der Woodsen, which were based on books.
When did you first start writing?
I started writing from a very young age. I wrote full MC’s at 18, but focused on another career until most recently.
Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?
Depends. Sometimes I plan out, and other times I let the story lead me.
Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)
Ooh tough one! I quite like exclusive club owner Darion Milano. He’s hot, kinky, and adventurous. Not to mention extremely good looking. He can be found in The Black Door trilogy series. I also quite like Mia McKenna too in my upcoming romance standalone. She’s sassy and cool.
Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?
I think a lot of books there can be scenes where it’s close to home to an author. My upcoming contemporary romance is a book ALL women will be able to relate to. It’s an emotional, feel-good read.
Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?
Yes. I’ve just finished a duology. Again, this is another book most girls will be able to relate to. A life a lot of us want and dream of.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
Keep going. Finish that manuscript. Promote, interact online, get your work critiqued, get it as best as it can possibly be.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m a movie and series freak. I could literally do that, or read all day. Other stuff includes shopping, sightseeing, and seeing my friends. Oh and sunbathing.
What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?
The worst part in editing is having to cut out large chunks. Fortunately I haven’t had to do that yet. Marketing is tough overall, as it’s a never ending process. The whole writing part is seeing that blank page, and having to churn out 80-90,000 words again. But, it all has its good parts too!
We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?
I think it’s annoying when people see writing as a hobby. Like, why would we want to torture ourselves by churning out 80-90,000 words over and over again, sleepless nights, an overactive imagination that never stops, and spend hours constantly promoting it? It’s tough at times, but again, it’s worth it.
What is your idea of happiness?
To be content within yourself. To be where you want to be in life, and have those you love and those that love you surrounding you. Family and friends matter most.
For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.
The wind gently played with her curls, the salt in the air filling her nostrils, the sound of the waves lapping the shore meeting her ears. The rays of the sun warmed her face. Removing her hat, she sat up on the lounger and scanned the white sand, and cerulean sea before her. She had the perfect view from her garden and it was peaceful and relaxing. She was spoilt with whether to swim in the refreshing pool, or run and dive in the sea. Before she could decide a handsome butler approached carrying a tray of snacks…. Haha! Perfect!
What makes you laugh/cry?
Comedy movies make me laugh, and sad movies / shows make me cry. Also when people let me down, or show their true colours, but that’s life.
You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.
Okay, other than my family and friends, who of course I’d take, but Mark Wahlberg because he’s hot and funny. Eminem because he’s hot and could rap and entertain me. And Blake Lively because she seems sweet and funny, and we all need a good friend ☺
What is your most annoying habit?
I bite my nails sometimes.
Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)
His Confession, Her Confession and Their Confession is an erotic romance trilogy. It’s about a man who owns an exclusive membership club, and a ‘vanilla’ woman seeing if she can come to terms with it because she loves him, or getting him to tone down his kinky, taboo, experimental ways. It tests their relationship. And in each book, someone has a confession.
I have written short stories for anthologies too. My upcoming short story for Fourteen Shades Of F*cked Up is about a handsome, charming man who despises the opposite sex for anything other than pleasure, and has a secret.
Lightning round
Tea or Coffee? Coffee.
Cash or credit? Cash.
Cats or Dogs? Both.
Beach or Mountain? Beach!
Summer or Winter? Summer.
Sweet or Savoury? Sweet. I love cakes!
Early riser or late riser? Late.
Morning or Night? Night-owl.
Christmas Tree – real or fake? Fake. It’s cruel to kill that many trees just for one day, especially when fake ones look just as good.
Sex – Lights on or off? Depends on my mood.

You can find me on:

www.facebook.com/SophiaValentineAuthor

www.twitter.com/SophiaVAuthor

www.instagram.com/sophiavalentineauthor

www.pinterest.com/SophiaVWrites

www.s-valentine.wix.com/books

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Nikki Ashton

January 16, 2017January 15, 2017 gibbsdream

1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

My name is Nikki Ashton and I’m from Cheshire – Crewe to be exact, it’s not pretty but it’s home.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

I love reading and probably read three or four books a week. Everything I read is inspiration – I don’t mean I copy the storylines, but the different styles of writing. Writing in the first person wasn’t something I ever considered until I read other authors books. Now I love it as you can get so much more across to the reader. My biggest inspiration to start writing though was Marian Keyes. I love how she can make you laugh out loud and then cry with the next sentence.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

I have always written romantic comedy but recently have crossed over into contemporary romance, and absolutely loved the change.

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

Ooh that’s hard. I suppose it’d have to be Christian Grey, purely and simply because the books became such a phenomena. They gave EL James a tremendous amount of success and to reach that level with something that I’d actually written would be amazing.

5. When did you first start writing?

I’ve always written stories from the age of 7 and then wrote my first full length book about 15 years ago. I shelved it though until 4 years ago with the rise of self-publishing.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

I do a rough plot line, write the first and last chapter and then just see where the words take me.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

As I write a character they become my favourite, so at the moment it’s Jesse Connor, the rancher in my book that’s coming out in the summer. Although Roman Hepburn from my February release, Roman’s Having Sex Again, is a very close second. Both are pretty Alpha Male but have a romantic side too. As for female characters it has to be Summer from Roman’s Having Sex Again – she sarcastic and strong and has a fine collection of amazing shoes!!

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

The whole of my teenage and early twenties pretty much inspired my first book, Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? Some scenes were a little exaggerated, but generally the three heroines are me and my friends.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

I’ve just finished a joint venture with Victoria Johns, so we’re currently doing edits for that. Other than that I’m doing the follow up to my rancher story. It’s about Jesse’s brother, Garratt and it’s going to be emotional.

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Just do it, what do you have to lose? Oh and make sure you get a good team behind you in the form of an editor and proof reader. There’s a lot of competition out there and lots of discerning readers.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Read and people watch for inspiration.

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

The marketing side of things for definite. I love interacting with my readers but I never know how much it too much marketing, plus I’m not particularly organised.

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

The fact that people don’t take you seriously because you self-publish and don’t see it as a job. I have a part-time job and people always say ‘yeah but you get two days off every week’ – actually I don’t because I’m doing my other job then. I might have more flexibility but if I don’t write in the day I’ll probably be up until the early hours writing.

14. What is your idea of happiness?

My family. Spending time with my husband, or spoiling my nephews and nieces is when I’m most happy.

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

Music plays quietly in the background, as the glow from the desk lamp shines onto the computer screen. The aroma of fresh, steaming, black coffee fills the air and there is a constant tap, tap, tap of the keyboard as the words flow easily. A voice from the sofa breaks into my thoughts as a bare chested, Micah Truitt says, ‘Okay stop writing now love, it’s sexy time.’

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

Observational humour makes me laugh, so I adore Peter Kay and Victoria Wood. I always laugh out loud at Helena Hunting books – she just has my sense of humour; coarse and smutty. I am quite an emotional person so lots of things make me cry, both happy and sad.

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

Apart from my husband being an obvious choice, family members would be difficult as I love them all dearly. So, looking at this purely from a ‘whoa, check you out’, point of view it would be; Micah Truitt, Pep Guardiola and Jamie Dornan. Without books or TV, I’m sure I’d find something to do!

18. What is your most annoying habit?

Self-doubt and being over sensitive

19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)

Guess Who I Pulled Last Night? This a story of three friends in their early 30’s and the ups and downs they go through for love. There are parts to the story that we can all relate to at some point in our lives.

No Bra Required, is a humorous, romantic love story about Lucy and Ed. After spending weeks in bed wearing a bobble hat, due to being unceremoniously dumped by her cheating husband, Lucy decides to make a fresh start living with her dad for a while. That’s when she meets Ed. But, in true romance tradition, things don’t run smoothly when his bitchy ex-wife, and mother of his son, suddenly appears.

Get Your Kit Off is the story of Molly Pearson, who doesn’t have children, but as the Player Liaison Manager for a premiership football club, does have twenty-two professional footballers and one jealous fiancé to take care of. With having to deal with problems from players buying zoo animals as pets, to losing their false teeth and a whole lot more, Molly can’t wait for the season to end. But, her life becomes even more complicated, when the man who broke her heart six years earlier, comes back into her life. Hail the returning hero, Joe Bennett, now one of the best footballers in the world and the club’s most expensive signing. Every woman wants him, every man wants to be him, and he’s returned for one reason only – he wants Molly back.

Rock Stars Don’t Like Big Knickers follows Luke and Martha. Luke ‘Luciano’ Mahoney is the arrogant and sexy lead singer of the mega rock band, Dirty Riches, and he finds it highly amusing that his flirting embarrasses Martha, his new housekeeper/cook. Despite a shaky start involving a naked Luke and a mortified Martha, they start to grow closer and their friendship starts to develop into something more, but will he ever manage to prove to Martha that he’s the right man for her.

Rock Stars Don’t Like Ugly Bras, is the second in the Dirty Riches series and is all about their Lead Guitarist, Jake Hughes and the band’s PA, Amber Mahoney, who also happens to be Luke’s cousin. Jake irritates Amber more than anyone she’s ever met before. Jake, however, thinks that Amber is sexy but scary. Now they’ve got to share a house for six weeks – what could possibly go wrong?

Cheese Tarts and Fluffy Socks: Complex, Enthralling Romance Novel Proves Sex & Work is a Cocktail Best Left Unshaken. The story zeroes in on a steamy one-night stand that, unknown to either party, is about to kick-off a working relationship that is far more than awkward. A hotel badly in need of investment, a young entrepreneur has been sent in to decide if it’s a good investment, but the daughter of the owner is…well…you get the picture.

Rock Stars Do Like Christmas Stockings, is the final book in the Dirty Riches series, and is all about Tom Davies, final member of the band to settle down, or so everyone thinks. What they don’t know is that Tom has been having a relationship with Jake’s sister, Abbie, for the past year. With one secret affair, one unwelcome Santa suit, five excitable children, four foul-mouthed band members and two days to organise a party for hundreds of people, Christmas is certainly going to be interesting for the Dirty Riches boys and their families this year!

20. Lightning Round:

Tea or Coffee? Tea

Cash or credit? Cash
Cats or Dogs? Dogs
Beach or Mountain? Beach
Summer or Winter Summer
Sweet or Savoury Savoury
Early riser or late riser? Late Riser
Morning or Night? Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? Fake
Sex – Lights on or off? On (unless we’re in the car of course ☺ )

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NikkiAshtonBooks/?fref=ts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/NikkerAsh

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nikkiashtonauthor/

Amazon.co.uk page – http://viewauthor.at/NAPage

Amazon.com page – http://viewauthor.at/AmazonCom

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

#Booksarenotfree

January 11, 2017 gibbsdream

There is a growing trend in society to believe that books should be free or heavily discounted and we have all been guilty of feeding into it. I pick up freebies but I am also happy to pay for the books I want. Maybe I can’t get all the ones I want but hey isn’t that just life? I see lots of clothes I like and I might be able to pick up a new dress for a special occasion or a new pair of jeans because my old ones have holes in where no self-respecting forty-something wants holes but I can’t buy every item that my heart desires. Certainly not on my non-existent income as an author. Just as well I have a full-time job that stops me from being a starving artist languishing in a garret with only bread and water to sustain me. My day-time job takes up a huge portion of my week and often leaves me drained but from somewhere I have to find the time for my passion which is writing. My dream would be my writing to take off and be able to write full-time but alas that can’t be at the moment.

Everyone of us has had people who ask for a free copy, I’d like to quote my friend and fellow author Chris Turnbull “erm No! There is no such thing as a free copy…even I don’t get a free copy and it’s my book.”

We do have a free copy on our computers, sure and we can send it to our Kindle device but if we want a print copy of our book, we have to pay – the proof copy isn’t even free. But let me tell you a bit more about what we’ve paid for: A beautiful cover, a feast to the eye, to tempt you, an editor to shape our words and spot mistakes and inconsistencies. And let’s be clear on this my editor and cover designer, both wonderful women who are also authors won’t accept it if I ask them to provide their services for free–which I wouldn’t do. Some people pay for marketing and do promotional giveaways.

I have three novelettes on the market at the moment and a pending novel (having the red pen treatment). A novelette is small, doesn’t require the same time frame to write it but I still used my time and I still paid for the above items. Yesterday was the two-year anniversary of my first novelette ‘As Dreams are Made on.’ Based only on the cover and editing alone I have lost £36.00 on it. So to recap, two years on and with 104 kindle sales and 16 paperback copies I am still in the red. I haven’t set my price high 0.99p/c because it is a short read. An hour or so of entertainment for under £1.00/$1.00 but still people want it for free. You could argue that if they like it they might buy one of my other books and yes that is true but lets also go back to the earlier paragraph where I acknowledged that I can’t buy all the books or clothes I like. So maybe it would generate sales–but maybe not.

Books aren’t just entertainment they are often an escape from reality –a reality that many people find challenging so given the duality of the product why do we question its value?

I’ve got an experiment for you to try (I won’t do it myself as I previously mentioned my busy schedule 🙂 )

Walk in to or phone your hairdresser and ask them if they will give you a free haircut.

Ring your garage next time your car needs a service or MOT and ask them to do it for free

Who loves having their nails done? Manicure? Pedicure? Facial? Let’s see about this freebie

The list is endless.
I would love to hear back from anyone who gets a freebie. Good luck and happy hunting.

But for this author who works endlessly and pays for the services I receive the only freebies I will consider are those that I choose to give for a promotional event which will require your participation.

For anyone who believes that authors should be paid for their work please leave a comment in support and it you are so inclined please share it with the hashtag #Booksarenotfree let’s get it trending.

If you are interested in my books follow the links:

US: https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maria-Gibbs/e/B00SDDJV1U/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

If you want to know more about my books have a look at the other pages on this website. You can even see the reviews that I have left for the books I’ve read recently.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Nicola C. Priest

January 11, 2017January 10, 2017 gibbsdream

Can we start with your name and where you’re from?
I write under my given name, Nicola C. Priest, but people tend to call me Nicky. Midlands girl, born & bred.
Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?
Completely true. When I was younger, I used to love reading Stephen King and James Patterson, mainly because my mom loved to read those authors so I picked up her books, but now I’m predominantly a romance girl and love to read Nicole Edwards and Kristy Bromberg
What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?
Most of my books are contemporary romance, but one of my in progress books, Perception, leans towards the Crime genre, with a touch of romance thrown in.
If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?
Just one character? Don’t think I could do that, but Id happily take all seven of the Walker Brothers from Nicole Edwards’ Alluring Indulgence series. Seven hot, sexy cowboys; what’s not to love there?
When did you first start writing?
I’ve loved writing since I was in school. Our creative writing classes were always my favourite. I started writing fanfiction based on various TV shows but it wasn’t until a certain trilogy came out that I decided to have a go at writing something original. I figured if she could do it, then so could I.
Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?
I do plan to some degree, but I tend to just write and go where the characters take me. I never know how a story is going to end until I get there. Two of the books I’ve released ended in completely different ways to what I originally envisioned.
Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)
Tough one, but I’d have to say Jackson MacKenzie out of Somewhere Love Remains. I won’t go into details, but there are parts of that book that mean a lot to me and I’ll leave it there.
Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?
Somewhere Love Remains. I had an armed forces penpal back when I was a teenager.
Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?
Yes. I’m working on the sequel to Heart & Soul, called Mind & Soul which has a couple of twists people won’t see coming. The second I’m working on is Perception, which is a little different to what I usually write.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?
Just write. I’m a firm believer that everyone has at least one book inside them, but you won’t get anywhere unless you write. All the editing and formatting comes after, just get the words on the paper and the rest will follow.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I work full time as a financial services contractor so that takes up most of my day. When I’m not working or writing, I go to the gym and catch up on my reading list.
What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?
Definitely the marketing. Getting a new book out there is hard and I hate pestering people or posting repeatedly on pages/groups. I know how it makes me feel seeing the same post over and over, but then I remember that this person is trying to do the same things as me, they’re just being a bit more forward lol
We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?
I hate it when people assume that just because I have a book on Amazon, I must be raking in the cash. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard “You’re an author? You must be loaded” or words to that effect. I wish I was loaded, but as most of us indie authors can attest, that’s just not the case
What is your idea of happiness?
Being able to give up my full-time job so that I can write for a living instead. I’d love to be able to earn my living as an author.
For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.
For me it would have to be a log cabin in the middle of nowhere, with an open log fire and huge armchair. I’d have a glass of my favourite wine next to me with the fire roaring, warming the room and casting a soft glow over the furnishings. I’d have my Macbook on my lap and just let the words flow.
What makes you laugh/cry?
I’m a big softie. Anything that my nieces and nephews achieve always has me in tears, and they’re not even m kids! My niece recently took park in the Children in Need choir which was televised and when I caught a glimpse of her on the TV I teared up. I’m a sucker for sappy movies too.
You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature. Hmmmmm. I think I’d take the inspirations behind my leading men. Henry Cavill inspired Alistair Lockwood; there’s just something about him and I could look at him all day. That man can wear a suit like no other. Canadian actor Yannick Bisson inspired Jason Harper, again, very easy on the eyes, but also a fantastic cook so he’d be able to keep all of out energies up. The last one, and I’m not giving a name here as it’s personal, is the inspiration for Jackson MacKenzie. He’s a good friend of mine and has helped me through some tough time. I wouldn’t be without him in my life.
What is your most annoying habit?
I’m the queen of the saying “I’ll do it in a minute.” It drives my husband mad as whatever it is never gets done and he ends up doing it himself. My memory is terrible so unless I do something there and then, I completely forget about it.
Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)
I have three books out at the moment: Heart & Soul is part one in the Heartland series. You have Alistair Lockwood, Hollywood moviestar and heartthrob, you meets clerical assistant Samantha Westfield during a meeting. There’s an instant attraction, but both have dark secrets that they want to keep hidden.

Somewhere Love Remains tells the tale of Olivia and Jackson, two people who connect when Olivia places an advert for an armed forces penpal. Throughout the years Olivia falls for Jackson, but he falls for someone else and they lose touch. Jump to 14 years later and a chance encounter has them reconnecting, but they’re both different to what the other remembers.

Chase the Knight is a novella you can read in 45 minutes. Abigail’s life is threatened by her dad’s shady work dealings so he hires Alexander Chase, and undercover cop, to protect her. Can’t really say much more without giving it away.

Mind and Soul & Perception are currently in progress. Mind & Soul carries on six weeks after Heart & Soul ended with Alistair and Samantna trying to move on with their lives. Perception is a little different to the other books in that it is a crime book where several girls have gone missing, with two turning up later, apparently murdered.

Lightning round
Tea or Coffee? Tea
Cash or credit? Cash
Cats or Dogs? Cats
Beach or Mountain? Beach
Summer or Winter? Summer
Sweet or Savoury? Savoury
Early riser or late riser? Late Riser
Morning or Night? Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? Real
Sex – Lights on or off? Both

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
Please leave Facebook, Twitter, Website links so we can check you out further.

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nicola-C.-Priest/e/B00GW2VPUE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1484058652&sr=1-1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolacpriest

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NicolaCPAuthor

Website: https://www.nicolacpriest.co.uk

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author: Laura Morgan

January 10, 2017January 9, 2017 gibbsdream

1.Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

I’m Laura Morgan, originally from Essex but I now live in the West Midlands.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

Oh absolutely. I love reading anything dark and powerful. I found there was a real gap in that market a few years ago and that was what inspired me to write my first dark novel. They say if you can’t read the book you’re trying to find, then you have to write it, and that’s exactly what I did!

I do have a few big influences though. JR Ward is one of my all time favourites, as is Pepper Winters and Colleen Hoover.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

I’m one who crosses over. I have a dark paranormal series, a contemporary romance duology and a crime novel coming out soon. I also write dystopian science fiction under another pen name too. I just write what comes to me, regardless of genre.

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

I’d have to say Rhage from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I’ve always had a thing for the bad guy with a heart and he was the one character who stayed with me long after reading about him. I’d love to take him and make him my own. To pop him in my worlds and see what happens!

5. When did you first start writing?

I’ve always made up stories since being a child, but I only started properly writing them down around four years ago. I hadn’t even realised that coming up with stories in my head wasn’t what everyone did. I figured it was the norm to conjure up characters and storylines, but got the shock of my life when I realised that wasn’t quite the case. That realisation gave the push I needed to finally put pen to paper.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

Both really. I plan some, usually at night while I tell myself a story to fall asleep. Then the next day, I type up what I came up with and then some more.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

My favourite character has to be Cate, the Dark Queen in my Black Rose series. She’s dealt some pretty bad cards in the first book and is pushed in directions she doesn’t want to be, but then she finds her strength and turns it all around. She becomes a force to be reckoned with and I absolutely love her for every moment of it.

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

Not really. There are a few real moments I have added along the way. Secret scenes only those who know me really well will spot, but most of all I will see a real-life scenario and ask ‘what if?’ That’s what makes it into the story rather than a real event as such.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

I’m about to release a new story called Rough Love. This one is a modern day tale of both the good and bad in our world. A world where love can conquer all, but at the same time the monsters can also win a few of the battles along the way. It’s a contemporary crime with elements of romance, but fundamentally it’s a mystery and a dark one at that!

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Don’t get too swallowed up in sweating the small stuff. Just sit down and write. Blurt out an initial draft and don’t give up. It’s better to have a rough draft you can work on a million times than nothing at all.

11.What do you do when you’re not writing?

I love to sing and am part of the Military Wives Choir, through which I’ve had some great opportunities to sing with famous artists and even go on the radio with the amazing Chris Evans. I’ve written poems and songs for them as well and hope to have even more input as time goes on. It’s something I hadn’t thought I’d love so much when I started out doing but now couldn’t live without!

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

The marketing. I’m too nice and don’t like to bombard people or shove my cards under anyone’s nose I find. I’m awkward like that, but I guess it comes with the territory or being a loner who sits in front of a computer for hours on end talking to imaginary people lol!

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

Because I write romance, the amount of people who tell me random stories about their lovelife is unreal! But then they almost always follow up their story with a, ‘but don’t put that in your book!’ Really?! I think you fail to comprehend the complexity of the writers’ imagination if you think I’m going to put you in my next book 😉

14. What is your idea of happiness?

Being able to write and do what I love for the foreseeable future. I truly love what I do and would adore being able to write full time. My family are incredibly supportive and it’d also be amazing not to have to sacrifice my family time so much.

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

I love to sit down in my nice and warm writing cave with my coffee brewed to perfection and perhaps a biscuit or two for dunking. Next, it’s on with the writing playlist and I choose whichever one ties in with my current piece of writing. With (ideally) no distractions, I then close my eyes, focus on the story, and begin to type. The words are then not simply black and white symbols on a page, but the narration of the movie playing out in my head. They flow perfectly and only stop when I say so…

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

I’m a sucker for love. I cry at the sweetest of stories and the heart-warming ones. Laughing wise, I’m like a twelve year old. A good fart joke or someone falling over will get me giggling every single time!

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

I’ve got a serious fan-girl situation going on with a singer/writer called Corey Taylor so he’d be first on my list for shooting the breeze, singing together and having some fun (he also comes across as a hilarious guy.) After that, I’d have to go with some eye candy—the one and only Tom Hardy. He’s a great actor and has been the inspiration behind many of my leading men so he’d have to come along to keep on inspiring me 😉 Then, I’m thinking some more eye candy and my other inspiration, Henry Cavill. He seems so nice and gentlemanly, but also like he’d fun and perhaps let me ogle him while he’s swimming and hunting 😉

18. What is your most annoying habit?

I don’t think I have one really? My hubby might tell you differently though, but I do know I can be quite annoying with grinding my teeth at night. I sometimes wake myself up with the noise it’s that bad, oops!

19. Please tell me about your books? For each one please send a pic (kindle cover would be perfect)

I have quite an extensive collection now! The Black Rose series is my dark paranormal collection. They have angels and demons galore, and of course all the dark deeds you might expect given the setting. I cover controversial and taboo subjects, as well as the age-old concept of balance between the worlds of light and dark. I drag the reader kicking and screaming through both the good and bad in this and other worlds.

My contemporary romances Forever Lost and Forever Loved are set in the real world, but one just as dark in its own way. You have hookers and gangsters, but also the story of a young woman who’s overcoming her own history via their world. Plus, you have a hot alpha lead you cannot help but fall in love with haha!

With my science fiction, I wrote from another perspective. One of a futuristic society where the human race is no longer in charge of the earth. Following an alien invasion, the series begins with the story of a young woman who has been brought up under their reign, but she has a bright future ahead of her, if only she can overcome the obstacles in her path first.

Lightning round
Tea or Coffee? Both! Earl grey tea for me though, if you please
Cash or credit? Cash
Cats or Dogs? Dogs – I have a furry friend who sits by my feet as I type
Beach or Mountain? Beach, but always in the shade otherwise I melt haha
Summer or Winter? Winter
Sweet or Savoury? Savoury – I’m a crisp monster
Early riser or late riser? Late riser for sure!
Morning or Night? Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? Fake
Sex – Lights on or off? On!

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
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