Books-n-Kisses is pleased to welcome fellow Oregonian Kaylie Newell to the blog today.

Kaylie, can you please share with us a little about yourself

I live in Southern Oregon with my husband and two little girls.  I was born and raised here, but went to college in Oklahoma, so I’ve spent a significant amount of time in the midwest. We lived in Iowa for a while and my biggest claim to fame about hanging out there is that I got to visit Francesca’s house from Bridges of Madison County (one of my all time favorite movies).  I even got to sit in the clawfoot tub and have my picture taken!  Good times 🙂

Have you always wanted to be an author?

I have.  I can remember writing a short story in seventh grade and reading it in front of the class.  My teacher was so encouraging.  Writing a book was something I always wanted to do.  But it seemed like a far away kind of dream, like saying you want to be a ballet dancer when you grow up.  I wondered if it would really happen.

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

Stephen King is my all time favorite writer.  I think he has a magical way of putting words and sentences together.  Not only can he tell a great story, but he tells it in a really beautiful way.  People who don’t read King might be surprised at that.  And how funny he is.  Truly a funny guy.

My favorite romance author is Karen Robards.  She has a wonderful way of combining steam, humor and suspense.  I have an autographed copy of one of her books that I keep on my desk for inspiration.

They’ve both influenced my writing style more than I can say.

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

I have thought about writing in a different genre.  I like mystery and suspense.  I also love chick lit.  But in the end, I just keep coming back to romance.  I love the happy endings, the falling in love (and lust!) and the natural conflict between a man and a woman.  We’re so different, yet drawn together like magnets.  That in and of itself is interesting to me.

What are some of your writing rituals?

I used to be the kind of writer who had to do the same thing every day.  Write in the same place, have my hot chocolate in the same mug, etc.  But lately I’ve been trying to shake it up a little.  I’ve found that writing in different places at different times has taught me to be flexible in my routine.  I have two little girls whom I love dearly, but they’re little time suckers.  In order to be the most productive, I had to adopt that flexibility.  I have to be able to write during swimming lessons or play time at the park.  Some days are more productive than others, but a few hundred words are better than nothing 🙂

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

I’d love to!  Teaching Officer Lonesome is a steamy May/December novella that centers around a police officer with a broken heart.  He’s still reeling from his wife’s death a year ago and wonders if he’ll ever be able to move on.

That all changes when he meets a tough young girl from the other side of the tracks.   Unlike Jack, Hope is very sexually experienced.  While he craves an emotional connection, she wants to teach him how fulfilling lust alone can be.  It’s only during their first night of passion when they discover how much they’ve both been missing.

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I think May/December romances are sexy.  And since I used to work in a police department, all my heroes tend to be cops 🙂  As a police clerk, I saw a lot of people come in who were down on their luck.  Who wanted to be better, but just hadn’t caught a break yet.  That’s where I got the idea for Hope’s character.  Jack, of course, is a mixture of all the guys I used to work with.  They’d be thrilled to know that 😉

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

Right now I’m working on my third full length romance.  It’s kind of a Taming of the Shrew type story.  My hero is a cantankerous lieutenant who meets his match in a young clerk who doesn’t take any of his guff.  When he finally lets himself fall for her, sparks fly!

What would you be if you were not an author?

Oh, that’s a good one.  My daughter once said she wanted to be an elephant washer.  That sounds good.  If my books don’t work out, sign me up for the nearest elephant wash!

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

I just finished Good Grief by Lolly Winston.  Wow.  If you haven’t read this book, it won’t disappoint.  A very poignant, but surprisingly funny look at life and loss.

I just downloaded A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard, which is supposed to be an extremely powerful, raw book.  I’m looking forward to reading it, but bracing myself that it’ll be tough to get through.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for having me!

Twitter: @KaylieNewell

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KaylieNewell

Blog: http://www.kaylienewell.com

Teaching Officer Lonesome

By Kaylie Newell

Amazon | B&N

A sexy cop with a broken heart is about to be taught a lesson.

Hope Marlow is a twenty-two-year-old seasoned vet when it comes to steamy one-night stands. Hope has had a hard life. From the wrong side of the tracks and abandoned by her mother, she finds herself trying to raise her little sister on a salary that barely pays the bills each month. She’s tough, jaded, but when she’s pulled over one sweltering summer afternoon for not using her turn signal, she meets her match in a sexually inexperienced cop twice her age.

The day Jack Malone stopped Hope is one he can’t forget. It’s more than the way she looked in the miniskirt and hot pink tank top, it’s her confidence that keeps coming back to haunt him. But Jack is still reeling from his wife’s death a year ago, and Hope represents things he thinks he can’t have with a woman—passion and a new beginning. Plus, there’s the fact that she’s practically half his age.

Hope sees things differently. The age difference doesn’t bother her, but while Jack craves an emotional connection, Hope has no interest in that. She’s an expert at pushing her emotions aside, and she knows that if Jack would let her, she could teach him how fulfilling lust alone can be. With that in mind, she sets out to seduce the sexy cop.

It’s only during their first night of passion that they both discover how much they’ve been missing.

Content Warning: contains sensual sex and some explicit language

Excerpt

Before her knees could touch the linoleum, Jack grabbed her and pulled her up again. “I don’t even know you, Hope. And you don’t know me. Don’t you think there’s something off here?”

“No.”

He grunted.

“Well, I don’t,” she said. “You’re a guy. Guys like sex. They understand it. They relate to it. It’s how you operate. Lucky for you, I happen to speak guy.”

The beginnings of a smile touched his lips. “I don’t operate like that. I don’t just sleep with random women. I need more than this.”

More than this. Hope considered herself pretty tough. She was young, but she’d seen a lot. Her father’s abuse, her mother’s abandonment, extreme poverty. She’d seen her fair share. But despite that, hearing those words coming from this man, hurt. A lot. She wasn’t good enough.

She dropped her hands and stepped back. “I see.”

He must have recognized the look on her face, because he immediately reached out again. She pulled away and sat heavily on the couch.

“That’s not what I meant.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, unable to look at him. “I know what you meant. And that’s okay. It really is.”

Liar. It’s not okay. It’s never going to be okay. The steel wall around her heart magically gained another layer as she made a bitter mental note. It’s official. Sexy, older soccer dads who look fantastic in their work uniforms, and who also happen to be handy around the house, are off your list, missy.

Jack bent down and took her hands. When she tried to pull them back, he tightened his grip. “Will you listen to me for a second?”

She stared at the floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. When he touched his fingers to her chin, they were warm and calloused, rough and sexy. He raised her head gently until she had no choice but to look him in the face.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, his voice low. “You’re a beautiful young woman. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

She clamped her teeth together. I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry.

“I didn’t mean I need more than this.” Emphasizing the last word, his eyes fell, lingering for a moment on her breasts. “I meant I need more in the form of a relationship.”

“A relationship?” She searched his face for any sign he was joking, but found none. He really was too good to be true. “Seriously?”

“Why’s that so hard to believe?”

“I’ve just never met a guy who actually wanted a relationship before sex.” She smiled a little, but he remained serious.

“I don’t think sex should be a casual thing. I think you should love someone first. Or at least have feelings for them.”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she wondered if she could convince him otherwise. She happened to know sex could be mind-blowing even if you weren’t head over heels in love.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

He sat back on his heels. “Shoot.”

“How many women have you been with?”

His face colored, even through the thick, dark stubble which prickled his neck and jaw. “That’s none of your business, Hope.”

“I think it’s relevant to the conversation we’re having.”

“I’m not discussing this with you.”

“Maybe you should.”

He was quiet for a minute, and so was she. They stared at each other for a long moment before he spoke again.

“I’m flattered. I really am. But I’m too old for you.”

“You think you’re too old for me. I feel differently.”

He smiled in a way that said he was done talking about it. “I’m too old for you. But I’d like to be friends. Do you think we can manage that?”

Sure. Whatever.

Sticking his hand out to shake, he was suddenly Officer Malone again. The aloof and businesslike cop who had stopped her last week for the blinker thingy.

“Sure,” she said, feeling like a little girl with a hopeless crush. “Friends.”