Interview & Giveaway with Tamara Hogan

Books-n-Kisses is excited to have Tamara Hogan for the first time on the blog today.  We are getting to know Tamara a little better and learning about her newest book Chase Me.  Please make Tamara feel welcome. 

Can you please share with us a little about yourself:

TH: my partner Mark and I live on a small hobby farm in southern Minnesota with two cats. I have a day job, telecommuting as a technology process analyst for a Silicon Valley-based company that makes network gear. Though I studied creative writing through high school and college, I didn’t write my first book until five years ago. Taste Me, Underbelly Chronicles Book One, is that book!

Have you always wanted to be an author?

TH: I knew I wanted to try to write a book someday, but let’s just say that ‘someday’ took many more years than I thought it would when I was younger. When I got an idea for a series – this one – I decided it was time to put up or shut up. Since that book was ultimately acquired by Sourcebooks’ Deb Werksman in a three-book deal, I guess I put up.  😉

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

TH: Nalini Singh. Old-skool Anne Rice. Frank Herbert, Anne Stuart, Stephen King, and of course, Nora Roberts. Maybe it’s an English major thing, but I can read for pleasure and analyze craft simultaneously; it’s not unusual for a paragraph to literally bring me to tears, and through the tears, for me to identify the exact turn of phrase—the exact WORD—that set off the waterworks, and why. I think I’ve learned something from nearly every book I’ve ever read, for better or worse, but in terms of specific influence, Nalini’s level of craft with emotional description and saturation continues to astound me—and pushes me to improve. Nora Roberts taught me everything I know about dialogue tags and beats. (Thanks, Nora!)

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

TH: I’ve always been a feral cross-genre reader, and started reading romance novels when I was ten. People who read my books will likely find elements of science fiction, psychological thriller, and mystery in my work. In terms of writing in another genre…CHASE ME is my second book —heck, my second manuscript —so right now I love where I’m at. My voice is still developing, still emerging. I want to feel confident before even considering branching out into a different direction.

What are some of your writing rituals?

TH: I telecommute for my day job, so an important aspect of my writing routine is simply getting up with the alarm and getting out of the house. I write at my local coffee shop, drinking three cups of black coffee with cream. I slap on my headset, dial in my music for the day, pull out either notebook or net book, and get cracking. This is a job, and I have to make the most of my limited daily writing time if I want to make my deadlines.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

TH:  One of the continuing strands in this series is the paranormal creatures’ origin story: how did these paranormal creatures come to share the planet with us? In Chase Me, Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger has finally found evidence that the remote dig she and her mother have been working for years is the crash site of their ancestors’ ship. Due to a rather serious screw-up, her professional nemesis, werewolf geologist Gabe Lupinsky, is assigned as her dig manager.

How did you come with the idea for this story? TH: Lorin and Gabe shared a short scene together in TASTE ME, establishing their professional conflict and some massive sexual sparks. What could I do but throw them together? From a storytelling perspective, I was also interested in flipping some common paranormal tropes upside down. She’s the rough and tumble, sexually aggressive alpha badass, and he’s more cautious and deliberate, the one with a health issue/disability, who’s in touch with his feelings and looking for love. I wanted to explore the concept of masculinity through this lens. 

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

TH: I’m just about to turn in the manuscript for Underbelly Chronicles Book 3, TEMPT ME, featuring reformed human hacker Bailey Brown and hedonistic incubus sculptor Rafe Sebastiani—Lukas’s brother.

What would you be if you were not an author?

TH: or a technologist? 😉  My friends tell me that I suspend judgment so completely sometimes that I should train as forensic psychologist and profile serial killers for the FBI. I find many shades of gray in my villains, who, after all, are the heroes of their own stories—in their own minds, anyway. It’s all in the motivation.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

 TH: My TBR pile is completely out of hand. One thing no one tells you when you sign a book contract is how much writing cuts into your reading time. That said, I’m excited about Kresley Cole’s “Lothaire” and Nalini Singh’s “Tangle of Need.” I’m still inching up the library wait list for J.R. Ward’s “Lover Reborn.” Yeah, I’m a complete hoor for the brothers.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

TH: if you happen to read either TASTE ME or CHASE ME, please contact me and let me know what you think! If you HAVE read the books, which couple would you like to see get their own HEA in an upcoming book?

Want to learn more about Tamara or her books?   You can find her here:

Website |    Facebook  |   Twitter |  Goodreads      

CHASE ME BY TAMARA HOGAN – IN STORES JUNE 2012

THE SECRETS SHE’S UNCOVERING WILL BE HIS TO KEEP…

Centuries ago, when their ship crashed to Earth, paranormals of all types settled secretly into our world, quietly going about their business with humans none the wiser. Self–ruling and careful to stay below the radar, all is threatened when Valkyrie archaeologist Lorin Schlessinger and her werewolf geologist partner Gabe Lupinsky inadvertently draw evil attention to Earth and its treasured natural resources.

As the threat intensifies, Lorin and Gabe struggle to contain the chaos they’ve unleashed, and to resist their explosive mutual attraction…

“Hogan’s sharp, funny dialogue and strong but subtle character development elevate both the story and the fierce chemistry between insecure, bespectacled Gabe and lusty, aggressive Lorin. Paranormal fans will enjoy this fresh take on the genre.” — Publishers Weekly

CHASE ME Buy Links: (Amz | BN | Sourcebooks | Powell’s | BAM | Sony | Kobo)

Read an excerpt here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamara Hogan loathes cold and snow, but nonetheless lives near Minneapolis with her partner Mark and two naughty cats. When she’s not telecommuting as a quality and process engineer for a global networking company, she enjoys writing edgy urban fantasy romance with a sci-fi twist. A feral reader with an unapologetic television addiction, Tammy is forever on the lookout for the perfect black boots. Her debut, Taste Me, was a 2009 Daphne Paranormal Winner and 2009 Golden Heart Finalist.  For more information, please visit  www.TamaraHogan.com or follow her on Twitter, @TamaraHogan1.

GIVEAWAY TIME

Sourcebooks has given me one copy of Chase Me to giveaway. 

To enter for a chance to win please fill out the Rafflecopter form below (US/Canada Only)

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